Moonlight
by RunAwayWriter95
Summary: Edward left, he didn't come back and Bella spent her life with Jacob. A hundred years later, Sloane's parents are renovating their small two story home. When she finds old pictures hidden beneath her floorboards, she's surprised to find the boy is identical to her new classmate Edward. Is Sloane ready for his world? Will Edward let someone else in? *AU*
1. Normal

**AN: Hey Everyone! I always found stories about if Edward never came back fascinating, so here is my own take on it. I hope you guys enjoy! Please review if you want to! Its how I grow as a writer! Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters.**

I've never minded living in Forks. Looking around the town, it might be difficult to see how we could possibly have a population of almost four thousand people, with our main road housing our single stop light within city limits. Occasionally, I'd make the drive to Portland, or even Hoquiam if I had the time to spend in a car like that, just to have something to do. There was no movie theatre or mall or any other normal teenage time waster around here. But, I didn't really mind that. Most of the time, I spent my hours at the coffee shop or at the many different beaches scattered on the western outskirts of Forks to work on my photography skills – or lack thereof.

For the first boring sixteen years of my life, my parents, brother and I lived in a ranch style house near the center of town. After my brother, who was just a year and a few months older than me, had moved out and left to go to Washington State, Mom decided it was time to have a different view when she looked out her window. Admittedly, I was worried that they'd decided to move east, to Seattle, perhaps, like Dad intermittently mentioned from time to time. Or maybe down south, to Portland or even California; that made me shudder. I hated the idea of leaving the Northwest all together the most.

Thankfully, though, Mom wanted to stay in the Olympic Peninsula and Dad didn't mind continuing to make the four hour drive to Seattle's airport. He traveled a lot for work and, if he was desperate, could fly out of Port Angeles when needed.

To my relief at not having to start over at a new high school, my parents found a house just recently put on the market on the outskirts of town. It used to be owned by a man who was the retired police chief before my parents were even born. His daughter apparently never moved into the house after he died, but kept it, hiring workmen to keep it in shape. Sometime after my brother's first birthday, the woman passed away, living to be a hundred and five years old. Her great-granddaughter lived in the house for a while before deciding to sell it and moving her own family to New York, or somewhere that far east. To their delight, my parents were able to get the house well below their budget, leaving plenty of funds for the remodeling.

We moved into the house quickly. I wasn't the biggest fan of having my bedroom just across the hall from my parents, where in our old house they'd been on the complete opposite side of the house. Thankfully, I wouldn't have to share the upstairs bathroom with them since the previous owner had a full bathroom added in on the main floor just off the small living room. Mom volunteered to take that one as theirs. I'm sure it was because we had an agreement to let me decorate any space that was designated as mine however I wanted to. Very proud of how her home was viewed, I'm sure Mom wanted any guests – who were sure to be using the main floor bathroom the most – to see her decorating skills and not mine.

All in all, I liked the two bedroom house from the moment we settled in, even the strange faded yellow cabinets in the kitchen. Removing the paint and giving it a newer, darker finish was the first thing Mom did. I found it disheartening, but unavoidable.

Slowly, over the past several months, Mom repainted and updated the house. It lost a bit of its old world charm to me, but I still loved the two story hide away.

"Sloane! Can you come down here?"

I groaned, throwing my worn copy of Mansfield Park next to me on the bed. The pastel blue cover depicting a large mansion in grassy hills blended in with the old thin quilt my parents had picked up at an estate sale in Olympia a few years ago. It was my favorite.

Slipping of the bed, I made my way down the steps and into the small family room.

Mom and Dad were sitting on the couch next to each other. I didn't panic yet. They often called family meetings for any minor infraction or small disruption to our lives. They were very new age like that.

Without a word, I sat down in the armless tan chair and waited patiently.

"Sloane, honey," Mom started. "We're going to move the renovation process to the upstairs."

I nodded, kind of wishing they hadn't called me down here for this. "What are you going to do?"

"The floorboards need replacing," Dad explained. "We're going to hopefully start in two weeks or so, as soon as your mother picks the type of wood she wants. We're going to be doing the replacing ourselves, so we'll need your help."

"Okay," I nodded again. It made sense for us to do the work ourselves. There wasn't exactly a contractor just down the road that they could hire and bringing one up to Forks would be more costly than it was worth. "That's fine."

My own floorboards were looking a little pathetic. The only retouching my room had received was a new paint job for the walls. Mom wanted to paint it light purple or maybe a soft yellow, but I liked the pale blue walls, so we matched the color as close as we could to give it new life and even on cloudy days I could look at my walls and see a piece of the sky.

Since there was nothing else that needed to be discussed, I was allowed to go back to my room. I stood up, told my parents good night and headed up the stairs. The rhythm of my reading was disrupted, so I picked up the book and placed it in my backpack for school tomorrow. My homework was done and not a single movie or TV show seemed interesting enough for me to watch. The only choice seemed to be to sit in my chair and stare out the window, watching the woods.

It all fascinated me. The impossibly tall yet thin trees, the moss that seemed to cover anything that stood still long enough. For vacations, Dad tended to choose places like New York, Florida, and Texas. All places that were severely lacking the color green. They were civilized, void of real nature. The cities were fine in small doses, but nowhere I could think to live for long durations of time. They were too crowded.

Society and I didn't get along very much. Sure, I had friends that I enjoyed spending time with, but ultimately I was an introvert, preferring solitude and time to recharge my batteries that went dead very quickly around people. Living in a small town where the closest city was at least an hour or so away was my perfect habitat.

Slowly, but surely, the sun began to disappear behind the trees. Seeing a beautiful scene begging to be captured, I swiped my camera off the desk and turned it on. I threw open the window and leaned out, careful not to lean too far out so my clumsiness could make me slip. Taking pictures from different angles and zooming in and out, I caught almost every second of the sunset until the sun was gone. Hopefully I'd been able to take at least one photo worth keeping.

I decided to take a shower before I went to bed, yanking my jeans off before exiting my room. I took a towel out of the hall closet and crossed over to the bathroom. Mom and Dad were still downstairs discussing the pros and cons between real wood and laminate flooring.

After removing my shirt and underwear, I stood in the bathroom and waited for the water to heat up. Our house was always relatively warm, but the beads of hot water felt amazing, warming and massaging the knots in my back.

I lingered in the shower, letting my mind focus on the two people downstairs responsible for my existence.

There was very little room between them on the couch and they were leaning in to each other. So, they'd made up.

Mom and Dad didn't fight often, and never in front of my brother and me, so I have no idea had what this latest tiff had been about, but it must have been a bad one, the fallout having lasted over the past several days. Whatever it was, I was relieved it hadn't been _too_ serious. Dad looked more rested now, like he had slept in their room rather than on the couch. They probably thought they were being careful, waiting for me to go to bed before he stretched out on the sofa to go to sleep, but I knew. At least it was over now.

Once my hair was washed and conditioned and my legs smooth and hairless, I turned off the water and stepped out of the tub, wrapping the fluffy blue towel around me. The cool air drifting in from under the door gave me goosebumps, a shiver running up my spine. My teeth chattered quietly as I ran to my room, clothes in hand. I dried off as quickly as I could, slipping a thin Forks High School hoodie over my head and fresh underwear.

Outside was now pitch black, save for the porch light. My phone told me it was only about eight-forty. A little early to be going to bed. Shrugging, I turned off my light and shuffled myself under the sheets and my favorite quilt.

Tossing and turning, I tried to get comfortable. I just wasn't tired enough to really go to sleep. My mind wandered, thinking of possible photo ideas and if every math problem on my homework was really done. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only thirty minutes, I fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning before my alarm went off, fully rested. This allowed me to take more time to get ready than I used did, contemplating each piece of clothing separately. Eventually, I settled on a long sleeved purple shirt and dark green jeggings with knee high boots. I wasn't exactly Miss Fashion Forward, but I liked to be a little bit presentable. I kept my makeup light and threw my hair up in a lazy knot on the top of my head.

Exiting my room, the smell of bacon hit my nostrils, making my stomach rumble. Grabbing my backpack I hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Mom was making breakfast. Not a completely new sight, but it'd become less regular as Mick and I had gotten older and able to fend for ourselves. I made no mention of this as I sat down at the breakfast island, pouring myself a glass of orange juice that Mom had left out.

"Well, look who who's up and rearing to go this morning," she sang, looking up from the eggs that were sizzling on the stove top. Mom was always more of a morning person than the rest of us. She never had a problem getting up out of bed, singing whatever really old song popped into her head that day.

I shrugged. "I went to bed early last night; body woke me up." If I had my way, I'd sleep in every day until ten. I loved sleep. Dreaming even more. Anything was possible in the much better world of my head.

The toaster made me jump when it sprang up the now crisp bread. Mom suppressed a laugh as she buttered the toast and put it on a plate, adding eggs and bacon before placing it in front of me. Immediately, I dug in. This beat soggy cereal any day.

Making a plate for herself, Mom sat across from me.

"Excited for school today?" she asked, just trying to make conversation.

I shrugged again. "I mean, it's Monday. Just starting the count down until the weekend." Now that I was excited for. The guys and I were supposed to be exploring a new trail down near the Sol Duc Falls. That is, if they didn't cancel on me. Again.

"Don't wish for it to go too fast," she warned. "You'll miss these days soon enough." Uh-oh. Mom was getting that misty-eyed, "how'd you get so grown" look on her face.

"I know, Mom," I nodded sympathetically, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. It was time to subtly change the subject. "I'm just excited for Saturday. We're going to try hiking a new path."

The water was gone from her eyes as her entire face lit up.

"Oh! Is EJ going with you?"

A huff escaped my lips. Perhaps this was the wrong road to steer down. "As far as I know." My sudden irritation was twofold.

The first was because if Mom could arrange my marriage, EJ would be the groom. She'd fawned over him since I first brought him home. We'd met after I went on a trip to Second beach with some school friends. With a love of hiking in common, we'd hit it off and the reservation became my second home. Mom's pushiness got even worse once EJ hit a growth spurt and started packing on the muscle. He was no longer a gangly kid and it came out of nowhere. I kept teasing EJ that was part of an experiment since a lot of the boys seemed to grow at the same ridiculous rate as him.

My irritation's second half only came into fruition after the ridiculous growth spurt. Lately, EJ had been canceling plans almost as quickly as he made them. Before that, there was about a two week period where he didn't call, text, or contact me in any way at all. Granted, I didn't contact him either after the first week, but I didn't want to be annoying.

When I finally heard from him, things were… different. He kept his distance, never hung out with me alone unless it was a public place, and, well, he was older. Look wise, anyway. We were the same age, but now he looked like he could walk into any bar and order a drink without being carded. For the first two changes, I thought that maybe he'd started seeing a girl form the rez, but Graham, another boy from La Push, said that EJ was still as "single as a Pringle". So, I was still in the dark.

Mindfully, I chewed this over along with the last of my bacon.

"Um, Sloane, honey," Mom pulled me from my thoughts, "you might want to start to head for school."

I looked up at the clock on the oven. "Crap!"

Scrambling, I threw my plate and fork in the dishwasher and kissed Mom goodbye before snagging my blue jacket out of the closet.

"Love you! Thank you for breakfast!"

I jumped up into my little ford and drove into town, careful of the ice that had formed in the night.

The parking lot at school was half full when I arrived. Unwilling to leave the warmth of the cab, I sat in my car for a few more minutes and watched my fellow students pile into the different buildings that held their various first period classes.

Breaking through my silent cocoon, the warning bell told me it was time to go. I braced myself for the cold, turning off my engine, and shuffled to English.

Like always, Abby was sitting near the middle of the classroom, the seat next to her waiting patiently for me. Her corkscrew curls bounced as she turned her head to me, watching me sit down.

"How was your weekend?"

Her curly hair was hard to get used to. Since our friendship's beginning in the sixth grade, Abby had used relaxer to rein her locks in. Recently, she decided she didn't need to do that and they've been running free ever since. I liked the curls. They fit her wide, toothy smile and heart shaped face perfectly.

Not that she needed my validation.

"Boring," I answered her. "I spent both days at home."

She made a face. "EJ canceled again?"

I nodded. We were supposed to just hang out at his place, but "something came up".

Abby's opinion of EJ was slipping farther and farther into the negative zone. She was happy that I had found someone to go into the woods with me. She like the occasional trip to the beach, but long hours of outdoor activities just for fun wasn't really her thing. But now I was being deprived of that joy.

"I'm going to kill him," Abby growled. All five-foot-even of the girl could be scary when she was angry. Though she be but little, she is fierce. Shakespeare would be proud.

I waved her off. "Don't worry about it. If he cancels, I'll just go with the other guys." EJ didn't really like me hanging out with Graham and Alex without him. I figured it was because he didn't want me to be uncomfortable with the two big flirts. Mom had another thought in mind.

Jealousy.

I pushed the thought from my mind. The final bell rang and we each turned to face the front.

English class was my favorite. Well, more like I loved that it was basically an entire hour devoted to the discussion of classic literature. I admired the way people spoke back then, with feeling, using words that were long and complicated, but now tossed to the side for being too pompous.

"Would you say that Dicken's wrote any sympathetic characters in this novel?" Mr. Rosner jumped right into the conversation.

We were studying Great Expectations and, though I liked the novel's storyline, I hated the characters.

I commented softly, "Barely."

He heard me anyway. "Why do you think that, Miss Summers?"

It was easy to keep him happy, just answer his questions and keep the conversation going.

"Joe is the only one who deserves the happiness he got," I replied, leaning forward in my chair. "All he ever did was try to do the right thing and give Pip a chance."

"The guy doesn't have a backbone!" Jackson jumped in from the front row. His dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun today, his red flannel shirt unbuttoned to show off the sarcastic T-shirt he wore underneath. "He let everyone walk all over him."

"But he ultimately was the one who gained happiness without having to go through hell and lose everything beforehand." I countered. "Through Joe we can learn that loyalty and conscience are more important than wealth and advancement." Getting a little too into my argument, I began to talk with my hands more than usual. "Pip has to lean those the hard way, even though he had a great example right in from of him!" My fingers flicked my pencil off the desk. Before it could hit the blue speckled tile, a ghost white hand snatched it out of the air.

Alice Masen sat in the desk in front of Abby. Typically, she sat perfectly still, facing the front of the classroom all hour long. But now her torso was twisted so she was looking at me, my pencil safe in her hand. I took it from her, noticing how careful she was not to touch my skin.

"Thanks," I smiled at her.

She smiled back warmly and nodded before turning back to the front.

The discussion soon shifted to a breakdown of chapters ten through fourteen.

I tried to pay attention, but I kept glancing at the back of Alice's head. She was back at her unnatural stillness. It was like staring at a statue in an art museum. Her classic, impish looks just egged on the comparison.

Suddenly, her shoulders twitched, startling me. I hadn't realized I was watching her so closely that the slight movement was a shock to my system.

The bell rang and, gracefully, she hopped up from her seat and practically skipped out of the classroom.


	2. Surprise

The Masens moved here right before the beginning of the school year. Their story fascinated the entire town from the moment of their arrival.

Carlisle Masen, the father figure, was a renowned surgeon who took the vacant spot at our small hospital because his wife, Esme Masen, wanted to live away from the city's bad influences for their teenage children. Well, _adopted_ teenage children.

According to my mother, who ran into the Mrs. Masen at the drug store and felt the need to make a new friend, the two of them are only about thirty years old, though you couldn't tell by looking at them, they've aged so well.

The teenagers were all originally foster kids that Carlisle and Esme had adopted. The twins, Rosalie and Jasper Whitlock, were Esme's niece and nephew. No one knew what happened to their parents. The other three Masens were cousins, I think. Or maybe they were just random foster children who just happened to seem similar in their looks.

I normally tried to not let my mind dwell on the Masens like this. They didn't go out of their way to interact with other students and most people just ignored them. Alice was the only one that I'd had an actual conversation with, though it was very brief.

Her family had only been here about a month when I decided that someone should try to make friends with them. Everyone else tended to avoid them due to their… oddness. They were all strikingly beautiful, it wasn't fair. Like Alice, they all had sheet white, flawless skin. Not a single freckle, pimple, or scar marred their looks. Physically, they were all different. Alice was tiny, pixie-like. Rosalie was blonde, thin, and tall, with timeless looks that held through no matter how beauty trends changed. Each boy was bigger, more muscular than the previous.

When I'd finally worked up the courage, rehearsing in my head approximately what I would say, I caught Alice after English a few weeks into the school year. The upper classmen were going to have a bonfire at First Beach to celebrate the new semester and say goodbye to the summer.

"Hey, Alice, right?" I had to grab her wrist before she could stand up out of her desk. If I hadn't, she would have been out of the classroom in a flash.

At first she didn't reply to me, just stared down where my fingers were hanging on to her. Even through her sweater, I could feel how cold her arm was. It was too warm outside for anyone to be that chilly. Maybe she had bad circulation. One by one, I relaxed my fingers and let go of her.

"I'm Sloane," I greeted, losing a little bit of my courage. I didn't want her to think I was deranged or something.

She nodded, smiling openly. "It's nice to meet you, Sloane."

We stood there awkwardly for a moment before my brain finally caught up with my mission. "How are you liking Forks?"

Her smile faltered just for a fraction of a second. I certainly would have missed it if I hadn't been paying close attention, trying to gauge her reaction to my forwardness.

"It feels like home," Alice replied. There was a sense of melancholy hidden in her voice. It made me sad for her.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "That's good." I didn't know how else to respond. "Well, there's a party tomorrow down in La Push and I thought you guys might want to join us. You know, get to know your classmates? A majority of the juniors and seniors are going to be there."

"Thank you. I'll talk to my siblings and see if they want to go." She tilted her head, studying me with her strange golden eyes. "I like you, Sloane." And with that interesting send off, she floated out into the hallway.

I'd hoped that the comment meant they would be coming to the bonfire, but they never showed. Maybe it was her older siblings; they didn't seem interested in getting to know anyone. After that conversation, Alice would greet me in the halls with a nod and a smile. Her family, however, pretended that I, as well as almost everyone else, didn't exist. It didn't matter. Alice at least liked me.

I didn't have any more classes with any of the Masens for the rest of the morning and so I was able to make it through my other classes with only the occasional distraction of the new students interrupting my thoughts when I let my mind wander too far off.

Then lunch came.

Abby met me halfway between buildings three and four (she had gym while I was stuck in Spanish) and we hurried through the cold to the cafeteria. The line for the day's meal moved slowly, making my stomach rumble in impatience. I stuck with a Caesar salad and water while Abby got a slice of pizza and a coke.

"You don't have to do that, you know," she muttered, her eyes looking pointedly at my tray.

I ignored her. I wasn't in the mood for a body self-esteem discussion. Like all teenage girls, I had my good days and bad days, today was just tipping closer to bad. We paid for our food and crossed the room to our usual table. Jackson was already there, chowing down on a double decker sandwich.

"Hey, Jackson," Abby greeted shyly.

"Sup," he nodded back. Though it was only a single word, I could see the shine in his eyes. I really wished those two would get on with it and date. At first, their mutual, yet unknown, crush on each other was cute to watch from the sidelines, but now it was just frustrating. If they didn't do something about it soon, I was going to be forced to intervene.

"Can you believe Rosner wants us to write our own analysis of the next three chapters on top of the essay?" Jackson complained.

Abby made a face, agreeing. "We're going to go over it in class anyway. I don't get why he's making us do that."

"He wants to make sure that everyone's actually reading it," I defended, turning to look at her. That was a mistake.

Now directly in my line of sight were the Masens. I tried to tear my focus away from them, but the rare, straight interaction with Alice was stuck in my head, along with her statuesque stillness.

"If they aren't doing the work then that's their problem," Jackson scorned between bites.

I lost track of the conversation. All five of the new, peculiar students were sitting at their regular table, staring off in different directions, not looking at anything in particular. There was hardly any space between the two couples.

That was what really drove the gossip when they first arrived here at Forks High School. The blonde twins, Rosalie and Jasper, were obviously with Emmett, the biggest out of the boys, and Alice respectively. It was a bit weird, even if they weren't actually related. But they weren't extremely PDA, which made the topic less interesting to the student populace and everyone moved on. Except, obviously, me. It was just too fascinating, the way they interacted. Like I said, they weren't all over each other; it was all subtle. The looks. The smiles. The quick skin-to-skin contact. Watching them was like watching Jane Austen's couples court each other in real life.

Then there was Edward.

His otherworldly pale face wasn't what kept people away from him. It was the facial expression he constantly wore. It was a look that seamlessly combined disgust, indifference, and loathing. You could always pick out the kids who didn't want to be here, but Edward out did them all. While his family seemed unaffected by their new environment, he seemed to want nothing more than to get as far away from here as possible. Even from where I was sitting, I could see all the tension in his body that never relaxed.

What could have made him so angry? So resentful?

I mean, Alice was happy, the rest at least _looked_ content. I had a sudden burning desire to know exactly what event in his past occurred that twisted his features so fiercely.

"Hello? Earth to Sloane?"

Shaking out of my stare, I turned to Abby, who'd elbowed me in the ribs. I absentmindedly rubbed at the sore spot.

"What?"

"You're doing it again," she snorted.

Blush crept up to my cheeks. "Oh, sorry."

Jackson sighed, suppressing a laugh. I hadn't even noticed that Tanner and Lynn had joined us at the table.

"So, is your staring at a certain someone the reason you struggled so much in physics last week?" Lynn teased.

I frowned at her. "No. it's because physics is ridiculously complicated and half of the time makes no sense. Especially when it comes to water pressure."

"Better watch out today, then," Tanner snickered, his brown eyes mocking me. Of course he had no trouble in physics; he was going to be an engineer and found all forms of science relatively easy. "Today's the day Shetler makes his big announcement."

We all exchanged looks. Last Friday, Mr. Shetler had warned us of a big announcement regarding an assignment that was to be worth a large portion of our grade. He probably would have told us last Friday, except he wanted to relish in the building panic over the weekend.

"At least we know it's not a group project," Abby offered. The rest of us murmured in agreement.

Mr. Shetler was famous among the school for two reasons: his impatience for slow learners and his hatred of group projects. While the former could be frustrating when you couldn't grasp a certain concept or equation, the latter was a blessing, especially when other teachers loved to cram students together for an assignment. Having to put the fate of your grade in someone else's hands was too nerve-racking to even dwell on the idea.

"Speaking of which," Abby stood up, her tray in her hands, "we'd better get going. It's almost time for class."

Like synchronized swimming, the rest of us all stood up and put our trays on the shelf above the trash can before following our tiny leader out the doors.

Outside, we sloshed through the melting ice on the sidewalk to the science building. With a grip too strong for someone her size, Abby pulled on my hood, allowing everyone else to pass us.

"So, you going to have trouble concentrating in class today?" she raised an eyebrow at me, her voice barely above a whisper.

I knitted my own brow, my thoughts still on our upcoming class and the dreaded announcemnet. "What are you talking about?"

"You were the one who told me to warn you when you got obsessive."

"I still don't–" I stopped, it dawning on me. "Oh, right."

Most of the time, my observation skills were just random, catching the key characteristics of people that others didn't always pick up on. Like a favorite shirt that they wore more than the others, a gesture they made when they got excited, or subjects they were coy at avoiding. But the Masens were better concealers. I couldn't pick up on anything that everyone else couldn't already see. It drove me mad. I didn't care about strangers to this degree. But I needed something to grasp on to, something to satisfy the curiosity so I could move on with my life.

That obsessive need led to the staring Abby was bringing up now. I had asked her to rein me in if it got bad, to the point where I was tuning out everything else.

Physics was the only class I had with Edward, the biggest mystery of them all, which I know is why Abby was cautioning me now. It was also my hardest class, so I was sure I could keep my focus in check, my face forward.

"Trust me," I assured her when we were almost to the building door. "Edward Masen will be the furthest thing from my mind in there."

Satisfied, Abby nudged me with her shoulder as we arrived at the classroom.

I took my seat in the front row. The desk was strategically picked to eliminate any distractions that could take my focus away from the electronic board ahead of me. The biggest of all possible distractions was safely near the back of the room, completely obscure from my peripheral vision.

Class didn't officially start for a few more minutes and Abby and Jackson were caught up in their own conversation, so I took out Mansfield Park from my bag and absorbed myself in Fanny Price's world. My brain barely acknowledged the bell. A throat being cleared in front of me finally pulled me back to the present. Mr. Shetler was standing over me. Turning red, I quickly closed the book and shoved it in the basket under the desk. Someone behind me snickered.

Mr. Shetler finally walked away. How could a man that short and skinny be so intimidating? He was like the adult version of the stereotypical nerd boy in really old movies; the one who got beat up by the jocks and had a crush on the shallow popular girl. In fiction, that kid grew up to be a Silicon Valley millionaire. In this reality, though, he was currently trying to explain the properties of buoyancy and why some objects could float in water when others couldn't to a bunch of small town teenagers who would forget the information as soon as they turned in their final.

I took as detailed of notes that I could, paying attention to every word he said as he dived right into the day's lesson. Apparently, he was going to save his big announcement for the end of class. As the hour hand creeped closer and closer to the two, almost everyone started to squirm and get restless. They probably, just like me, were wishing that he would end the torment and deliver the ominous message.

At last, Mr. Shetler completed the last example and put his stylus down on the demonstration counter that separated him from us.

"Okay," he said with a slight frown. Shouldn't he be gleeful for whatever torture he was to bestow upon us? That wasn't very like him. "For what you've all been waiting for. I've decided there's not going to be a mid-term test."

Every student – save one – sat up straighter in their chair, excited about this new development, but also bracing themselves for bad news.

"Instead," he continued, not acknowledging the change in the atmosphere, "you will be completing a project over the next several weeks that will consist of an essay, problem sets, and a short presentation over your findings. And," his frown deepened, "you'll be doing this with a partner that I have already assigned."

There was an audible gasp. The murmuring started, no one really believing that this was the real announcement from what I picked up. Abby and I exchanged a stunned glance. This had never happened in the history of Shetler's teaching career here. The knowledge of no group projects in physics was passed down from class to class. For some, it was the only reason they took the class.

One look from Shetler silenced the room. He picked up a sheet of paper and began reading off names.

"Rod, you're with Tina."

Tina, a popular girl with a blonde pixie cut, rolled her eyes while self-professed bad boy Rod high fived his buddy.

"Anna, your partner is Jason."

Anna looked around for her partner. Shy Jason waved sheepishly from across the room.

Like watching moss grow, Mr. Shetler slowly went down the list. Each time when my name wasn't called, I inched closer to the edge of my seat. As well as my own, my ears were straining for another name.

 _He_ hadn't been assigned yet either.

"Abby, with Lynn. Tanner, with Ryan. Donna, with Keith."

 _Come on!_ I urged in my head. Jackson was still left to be assigned a partner. I prayed that fate would be kind.

"Sloane, with Edward."

I nearly fell out of my seat. Swallowing heavy, I turned around to face the back of the room. Edward was staring at the ground blankly. Then his eyes flickered up and met my own, his usual glare of anger and annoyance intensified. Quickly, I spun bank to the front. I didn't even hear who Jackson was so luckily paired with. I slumped down in my chair.

 _Kill me now_.

Mr. Shetler finished the list.

"Now, tonight when you're not doing your other homework, I want you to think about what you want to do the project over. The concept can consist of anything we've covered since the beginning of the school year. Tomorrow you'll get with your partner and choose between your ideas. Off and on over the next few weeks you'll have time during class to work, but I expect you to work on this _together_ outside of school. I'll let you know when we're going to start presentations at a later date."

The bell rang, granting us freedom.

"See you tomorrow," Shetler dismissed.

I scrambled up, shoving my notes into my bag, leaving the room with Abby in the river of hurried teenagers.

"Wo-ow," she shook her head as we walked down the hall. "Edward Masen. Good luck with that."

I sighed. "It shouldn't be too bad. I just hope he doesn't make me do all the work." As we reached the outside of the building, I remembered my poor, defenseless book still sitting under the desk. "Crap! I have to back. I forgot my book."

"You're going to be late for gym," Abby reminded me. If I ran, and didn't trip and fall, I could probably make it. We weren't too far from the class room, although the gym was across the courtyard.

"I'll be fine," I told her, already headed back inside.

Just when I was about to round the corner to enter the classroom, I heard an argument coming from inside.

" _Please, Mr. Shetler, I will do double the work you're requiring for this. Just let me do it alone._ " Edward's voice was calm, but very upset and frustrated. His look translating into sound.

" _I'm sorry, Edward, but everyone is going to this assignment_ with _their partner_."

" _Isn't there any_ –" he stopped. " _I see. Thank you_."

Footsteps warned me that he was coming. I went back around the corner and pushed myself up against the wall. Edward walked straight, ignoring the side exit and headed to the other end instead.

Hurriedly, I walked into the classroom. Mr. Shetler sighed when he saw me, gearing up for another argument.

"Sloane–"

I grabbed my book from under the desk. "Just forgot my book."

He sighed again, this time with relief. "When the bell rings, it goes in your bag."

"Yes, sir." I ran out of there, praying I made it to gym on time, my mind wheeling and angry as hell.


	3. Partner

**AN: Sorry this took so long! This will probably be the normal time between chapters, but the rest probably won't be this long averagely. Thank you for your patience! Please review and comment, it's how I grow as a writer!**

Was the jerk really so stuck up that he thought he could get out of the forced group assignment? I hardly doubted any of us wanted to do this, but we were able to suck it up.

It wasn't like I wanted to be his partner any more than he wanted to be mine. Sure, I wanted to know more about him, but I wanted to get it from a distance, not up close and personal. How was this going to happen? How would this even work? He didn't talk to anyone. Would we meet at his house to work on the project?

The thought made my stomach queasy. No one knew where the Masens lived. And, though I didn't mind Alice in the least, I dreaded the idea of the rest of his family lurking about, watching us.

With this new predicament running every terrible scenario through my head, I had a hard time concentrating in gym, which I loved.

I wasn't the most athletic person, body-wise at least, but I was competitive. I liked sports, the ones I was good at anyway. At tennis I was passable and baseball was fun, but basketball and soccer I was almost useless. They required a lot of running, which in turned required long term stamina and that I was low on. Volleyball didn't need as much in a short period of time and I relished in it. And, to my luck, we were still playing it today.

With my mind preoccupied, however, I let the ball hit the floor several times, failing to realize it was in my area before it was too late. When my teammates gave me a few dirty looks, I was able to shake out all thoughts until I was subbed out.

During that time, I sat on the bench with the others who weren't currently on the court and played the image of Edward's hateful stare over again in my head.

Tanner came and join me when he was subbed out, sweat beaded on his face, making his light brown hair stick to his forehead.

"How you holdin' up?" he asked.

From his expression, I knew he wasn't talking about the game. My team was losing by three and on any normal day, I'd be playing backseat coach from the sidelines, calling out to whoever was closest to the ball.

"I'm fine," I let out slowly, keeping my eyes on Savannah, who was currently serving for my team. She overhanded the ball, hitting it hard. The other team yelled that it was out. The ball landed on the two-inch back white line. Point for us.

"Any idea how you're going to approach it?"

This was why I liked Tanner. His brain looked at everything like an equation to be solved and at times like these, it was comforting. He didn't concentrate on the fact that Edward was a loner who sometimes scared people. Instead, Tanner wanted me to think about how I would get the project done with as little frustration as possible. Unfortunately, I was coming up with nothing.

I slumped back, defeated.

"I don't know. I overheard Edward trying to get out of being partnered with me. Or being partnered at all, really."

Tanner nodded thoughtfully. "Well, can I make a suggestion?"

I let out a small laugh. "I'll seriously take anything right now."

"Go to class tomorrow extra prepared," he offered. I stared at him, confused. He shifted so he was facing me head on. "Hear me out. When you get home tonight, find a topic you want to do the project on and research the hell out of it. Know exactly what equations you need and what the essay can be about. When you tell Edward about it, be assertive, but listen to his idea too, if he has any."

I was following his trail carefully, but then I hit a tree.

"What exactly will that do?"

"Show him that you're taking this seriously; that you're not messing around. You'd be surprised how often that works."

I chewed that over for a minute. Maybe that could work. Maybe I was taking it too personal and Edward was just worried about having to depend on someone else for a good grade. Weren't the rest of us anxious about it? The only difference was he was just brave enough to try and get out of it.

A small, but determined smile broke out across my face.

I made it through the rest of gym without a hitch. My team won three out of the four games and there were no more glares from my teammates. Class ended and I started planning as I changed out of my uniform.

Abby was waiting for me outside. I walked up to her just as Tanner had walked away to the parking lot.

"Tanner told me what Edward did," she said apologetically. "That's harsh."

I waved it off. "I'm just going to show him that I'm taking the work seriously."

"Are you okay with having to meet up with him outside of school?" she looked up at me with genuine concern.

Rolling my eyes, I stopped walking when we reached her car.

"He's not a serial killer, Abby. Just a little antisocial."

She snorted. "No, _you're_ a little antisocial. He downright hates everybody."

Her words bothered me, though I couldn't grasp on to any reason why.

"I'm sure if I get to know him, I'll find that he's actually a decent guy," I defended.

Abby shot me a look like I was crazy as she opened her door.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, a chuckle hidden underneath. She shook her head, muttering something to herself as she sat down behind the wheel.

I walked away before she started her car. My own was only a few rows down. I threw open my door and tossed my bag inside onto the passenger's seat. Before I slid in, my eyes caught Edward headed straight in my direction. Involuntarily, my heart started pounding and my grip tightened on the sharp edge of the door. I wasn't mentally prepared for this confrontation. It'd throw off my whole plan. To a little bit of relief, Alice was right behind him, looking pleased. Maybe she'd help buffer the conversation.

I braced myself for impact, but it never came. Edward shifted his direction ever so slightly, passing me two cars down the row. His frown deepened as he did. Alice waved at me, seemingly oblivious to her brother's attitude. Or maybe she didn't care. Either was possible.

I waved back and got into my car to join the line of students waiting to escape school grounds.

First thing I did when I arrived home was run upstairs to grab my computer. I didn't like doing homework in my room. It felt like a violation of my sacred space. So, instead, I set up at the kitchen island, pulling my school tablet out of my bag. My computer fired up quickly and I started my favorite music playlist while I mulled over the physics textbook, going through the different chapters we've covered.

I needed a subject that wasn't simple, but also not overly complicated so I could understand it. Newton's three laws of motion were definitely out.

As I scrolled through the pages, I started humming along with the songs. They were old, from around the nineteen-fifties. I was introduced to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack when I stayed with my grandmother for a week when I was thirteen. She had a collection of old movies, not quite as old as the music, but they used the songs for the soundtrack.

There was something warm about the notes and there was simultaneously a simplicity and a depth to the words. Mick was constantly making fun of me.

While I like things old and vintage, my brother was the complete opposite. For him, latest was greatest. He followed the trends. It made me sad, but it made Mick popular.

Girls thought he was gorgeous, not quite _the_ football star, but as starting running back, definitely one of them. The guys thought Mick was cool and easy to hang out with. I, on the other hand, was coasting through the middle ground and was just fine with that. I wasn't at the bottom because no one wanted to be on Mick's bad side, even if it'd been a year since he graduated and he was gone at college. But I wasn't pretty enough or outgoing enough to be near the top either. It didn't matter. I had friends and I was happy. For the most part.

My phone buzzed on the counter. A picture of EJ laughing lit up my screen. I was tempted not to answer it. The little voice in my head said that it could be important.

Giving in, I picked it up and tapped the little green button.

"I swear, if you're canceling on me, I'm driving over to your house and kicking your ass." I felt no need to go through the pleasantries.

" _No, no, I'm not_." EJ's voice came through the speaker all panicky. " _I've got it all worked out_."

 _Okay, whatever that means_. "So, what's with the surprise phone call?" I leaned back in my seat, using my foot on the edge of the counter to move my chair back and forth.

" _What? A guy can't just call his friend that he hardly sees just to catch up?_ "

A snort escaped. "Or, you know, a surprise visit would be even better."

EJ cleared his throat. " _Yeah, sorry about that. It's a bit complicated right now_."

"Everything always is now, isn't it?" I snapped, leaning forward in my chair and resting my elbows on the granite. If we hadn't met when we both were well into puberty, I could blame it on that, but the option was out.

" _Come on, don't be like that_ ," he pleaded. The genuine hurt in his voice softened me up. He changed the subject at my silence. " _How was school today?_ "

"It was fine," I answered, all hostility gone from my voice. "We're about a third of the way through Great Expectations."

" _Is it everything you_ expected _it to be?_ "

I laughed hard at his lame joke. "Actually, it can be kind of boring. I've ready it already."

" _Is there an old book you haven't read yet?_ "

That took me a moment to answer. I had to mentally go through my TBR list. Older books were much more interesting than the rehashed storylines of today's bestsellers. "Dracula hasn't been tackled yet."

" _Ugh_ ," there was real disgust in his tone. " _Vampires_."

"Hey, don't hate," I scolded playfully. "That is a classic gothic novel."

" _I'm sure there are more interesting books out there_ ," EJ continued to argue.

I couldn't find a reason for his hate against a piece of fiction. Even a cliché one like Dracula. "Yeah." I clicked my tongue, unsure of where to go.

" _So, anything else happen?_ " It was obvious he was trying to keep the conversation going. Did he really want to avoid homework that badly?

"We got assigned a group project in physics today."

" _Ouch_."

"Tell me about it," I groaned. "At least it's with just groups of two, so it shouldn't be too bad."

" _Who'd you get stuck with?_ "

This was where I hesitated. When the Masens first moved here, there was a huge shift in attitude on the reservation, especially among the council elders. I didn't know many of them personally, but the change was obvious even in our brief encounters. EJ had told me about how weird people were acting, some of them even refusing to go the hospital in Forks. At the time, EJ had found it ridiculous, laughing about it at times. His very intimidating father, one of the elders though he's easily twenty years younger than the rest of them, took the matter more seriously.

We hadn't talked about the Masens in a long while, but even EJ didn't crack jokes anymore.

I decided ignorance was bliss.

"Oh, no one you know. Just a guy in my class."

EJ didn't appreciate the avoidance. " _You gonna be spending a lot of time together now?_ "

The accusation in voice rubbed me the wrong way. His tone said it was more than me just spending some time with another guy. Like he knew exactly _who_ my partner was.

Or maybe he didn't. Maybe it did all boil down to jealousy and I was just grasping at straws for some other logical reason. My stomach dropped. Maybe Mom had been right all along.

"It's just a school project." I tried to keep my voice nonchalant. It probably didn't work. "Nothing to worry about. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to it. I've got to have the proposal done before class tomorrow."

" _Yeah, okay_." The bitterness was gone, but so was the cheer. " _I'm sorry_."

I wasn't exactly sure what he was apologizing for, whether it was his distancing or the prying into my business. Either way, it didn't matter in the end.

"Hey, you're fine," I reassured him. "We still meeting at the store parking lot Saturday?"

I could almost see him perking up. " _Absolutely! Bright and early!_ "

"All right, I'll see you then."

" _See ya. Bye_."

"Bye."

I put my phone down on the counter with a clatter. There was a missed text from my mom. Apparently they'd be back later tonight. They were still in Olympia checking out flooring prices. It didn't look promising, according to her.

To be honest, I was thankful for the empty house. Like Tanner, Dad liked science. Especially space and aerospace engineering. That's why he worked for Boeing. He would insist on helping me find a subject.

Hmm.

Sparking my creativity, I unlocked my computer and started my research. Lately, Dad was all about the manned mission to Mars. So much so, that he's been watching nearly every Mars/Space movie he could get his hands on just so he had an excuse to discuss the differences between fiction and reality. It was driving Mom crazy, who – like me – preferred a nice romantic comedy.

One of the movies I'd watched with Dad out of boredom was about a guy who was stranded on Mars. From what I remembered of the plot, there was plenty of physics material to work with, including atmospheric pressure, gravity changes and using Earth like a sling-shot to boost the rocket's power. It was perfect.

I started printing like crazy, looking through dozens of websites that explained the science of the film and debunked other parts. The sites were old and it took me a while to decipher the home pages a bit. The sun crept down below the horizon and was gone by the time I finished the vague outline of the essay.

All my other homework was left undone. The chapter analysis I was sure would end up being extra credit, but Rosner liked me and I didn't want to disappoint him by not completing the assignment. So I quickly skimmed the chapters for a refresher and typed up the summary with my commentary before emailing it to Rosner's school inbox. He wouldn't have a problem with me sending it in early.

My trig homework was another story. If I got started on it now, at least, I could finish it in Photography and get away with it. So I made a deal with my future self. I would complete three of the ten problems tonight and she could finish the remaining seven tomorrow. There was no protest that I heard, so I took that as an agreement.

The three problems took me nearly half an hour, mostly due to my rumbling stomach distracting me. As soon as I got what I assumed was the answer to the last problem, I closed out the app for the homework, double checking to make sure everything was saved. Not really wanting to create a mess I would just have to clean up, I made a sandwich, not even dirtying a plate. I ate it quickly while shutting down my computer and tablet.

Working my way up the stairs, I debated on whether or not to take a shower. Really, I just didn't have the motivation. Ultimately, I work myself up to a decision that led to a shower. I needed to have my confidence on max tomorrow and if my hair was just a bit greasy or if there was the slightest hint of BO, I'd lose my focus and bravery.

I rushed through the shower and only used my hair dryer for about two minutes, barely drying the soaked strands of my dark red hair. Once in my pajamas, I jump between the cover. My mind raced through every possible scenario that could face me tomorrow at school. Falling asleep was hard.

The next morning I woke up groggy. Sitting up slowly, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The event that awaited me suddenly reentered my mind. It was like a shot of pure caffeine to my system. I hopped out of bed, running a brush through my rat's nest on my head as I decided what to wear.

Through the nerve-racking scenes my brain played for me before bed, I came to another conclusion. On top of my assertiveness, I would also try to be Edward's friend. Not in a desperate, pushy way, but I would be nice, accommodating. Take him by surprise and show him that not everyone is going to keep their distance.

I wasn't as early getting downstairs as I was yesterday, but it didn't really matter. Both Mom and Dad were still in bed asleep. Impatiently, I waited for two slices of bread to toast. Spreading on a thick coat of grape jelly, I scarfed down my pathetic breakfast. I grabbed my papers for Physics off of the printer, hoping Mom hadn't seen them. She hated using a lot of paper. It was just out of necessity for my schooling that we even had a printer. Only my old fashioned teachers required some assignments to be turned in on paper. Everyone else simply has us use the school designated tablets.

At school I went straight to English after finding a good parking spot instead of wasting time in my car. Rosner wasn't in the classroom, but the light was on and the door was unlocked so I figured it was okay to go in. I say in my desk and pulled out the tablet, opening the app for my trig homework. Might as well use the time valuably and keep future me happy.

"Well, this is unusual."

About two-thirds of the way through the problem, Rosner appeared, standing in front of me. I looked up at him awkwardly.

"It's not like you to put off homework, Sloane."

"I know," I tried not to crumble in embarrassment. "I kind of spent too much time on my Physics homework last night. I did email you the summary, though. Did you get it?" Perhaps he would ease up if he knew I at least got his assignment done.

Rosner nodded. "Yes, I read it last night. Although, I just needed a summary of the chapters. You didn't have to give an analysis of your thoughts as well."

Oh. Um. Oops.

I wanted to crawl under my desk. At least there weren't other students here to witness my excessiveness.

"Sorry," I murmured, staring down at the floor. Isn't it just like me to misinterpret the homework.

"Don't fret over it, Sloane. I'll just give you a few extra points on it."

Like I needed it for this class. "Mr. Rosner, you–"

He held up a hand, stopping me. "Sloane, I wish more students would put in half of the effort you do in this class. It's the very least I can do."

I wasn't really sure what to say so I just nodded. I didn't have the heart to tell me that this was the only class I pushed out extra effort in. It's not really an effort when you enjoy it. In trig, I was skating by with a mid-B. History memorization came easy to me and photography hardly counted as a real class.

Rosner walked back to his desk and students started filing in as I finished up the problem.

Class passes as much the same as it did the previous day. There was a short, three-question quiz, and then the rest of the time was spent in discussion. I wasn't usually a clock watcher this early in the day, but I was eager to get to my class after lunch. It was like an itch right between my shoulder blades where I could reach to scratch it.

When the bell rang, I practically ran to Photography.

Miss Morales didn't care if we did other things during her hour, with only six of us making up the whole class. We were her next level photographers, so she trusted us to get the work in. Occasionally, she'd start the hour off with a quick lesson on a new way to sharpen or improve a picture, trying to get us to be creative, then she'd let us loose. That was typically on a Monday.

As it was Tuesday, Miss Morales took attendance and then the four other students took off to do who-knows-what. Amber, a quiet girl who didn't really seem interested in anything, and I remained. Amber pulled out her phone, put in her headphones and scrolled through whatever was on her screen. I got to work on my stupid homework. I didn't hate my past self as much as I thought I would, but there was still a little resentment. However, it helped passed the time better than searching through the dozens of pictures I've taken to find something to mess with.

"Sloane?" Miss Morales slid into the desk in front of me. She had them all arranged in squares of four to encourage people to share ideas.

"Yeah?" I stopped my stylus, looking up at her.

"How's your project going?" she asked. So much for leaving me to my own devices.

"Good, I think," I answered honestly. The assignment for the first half of the semester was supposed to be about something outside of school that really mattered to us. I was basing mine around my love of hiking and finding new places that weren't on a trail. It was lamely titled "Trail Less Traveled" because I couldn't come up with anything else. The guys were sometimes subjects as well, their copper skin and black hair beautifully standing out against the green backdrop.

Miss Morales smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Do you need help with anything or are you struggling with ideas?"

Technically, yes. I did need a little help in the ideas department. There were only so many different angles you could take of trees. I'd snapped myself into a corner. But I needed to get this homework done. "No, not right now, at least."

"Okay, just let me know if anything comes up." She stood up and walked over to Amber, tapping her fingers against the desk to get the girl's attention.

The next hour I walked into trig, relieved that not only did I finish the homework, but I had a little extra time to go over it and check my work. I didn't think I'd messed up anything too badly.

I passed the rest of my morning classes glancing at the clock every few minutes, which most really just made it pass slower, but I was too keyed up to be calm and give the teacher all my attention.

Finally, lunch came. Spanish let out late, so Abby was waiting for me impatiently near the cafeteria. She kept eyeing me sideways, concerned – or maybe confused – about my bouncing attitude. We went through the line silently and joined others at our usual table. I found Edward sitting with his family, staring at nothing, not touching his food.

To avoid suspicion and annoying comments, I only stole glances rather than outright staring. They didn't move an inch, all five of them keeping that perfect statue-like quality.

"So, Sloane, are you ready for physics?" Lynn asked.

"Yeah, bring it on," I challenged, smirking at her.

Jackson looked at me like I was crazy. "I wouldn't be surprised if Edward just did everything himself. He's not really a teamwork kind of guy."

My eyes had shifted back to the Masens and caught Edward's quick look in our direction before reverting back. Curious. As if he…

"Sloane won't let that happen," Abby defended, nudging to get my attention back to them.

"Definitely not," I agreed, only partially concentrating on what everyone was saying.

Jackson changed the subject, bored that I wasn't more involved with the discussion of my physics partner.

The end of the lunch hour came. I walked to the science building with a confidence I hadn't experienced before. After the bell rang, Mr. Shetler wasted no time in getting us started. He handed out packets to each of us that gave a more in depth explanation of the assignment and let us go for the hour. Before moving, I scanned the papers, double checking that my idea fit the parameters and my hard work the night before wasn't wasted.

I stood up.

Edward was still in his desk, though all the other students had gotten up and moved either to the floor or the lab tables in the back. He sat there, his hands folded up under his chin, his eyes closed. The muscles underneath his skin were tense, like if he relaxed even a little bit, he'd fall apart. I walked over slowly and dropped my folder of ideas on the desk in front of him. His lids snapped open and glared at me as I turned the desk around to face him.

Once seated, I folded my own hands in front of me and effortlessly smiled at him. "Hi."

A single eyebrow went up.

So that would be the only response. It was hard to stay concentrated on the task at hand. Edward was, well, handsome. _Very_ handsome; even more so up close. I'd use the word "hot" like everyone else, but it felt beneath him, somehow. It didn't quite fit. I would have to be careful.

"So, I kind of had an idea," I started, pulling out the papers that explained the science of the movie. I kept my eyes down, not wanted to worry about gauging his reaction. I faltered a couple of times, looking at him. While I elaborated on my idea, for good measure, I told Edward how I came up with all of it as well. As I spoke, he kept his eyes on the papers between us.

"What do you think?" I asked when I was done. His face was blank, possibly bored. Reluctantly, he shifted his eyes up to me. The constant anger was gone. Frustration was still there, but now it was joined by its sister, confusion. I worried that I'd talked too fast and he didn't even know what I was talking about.

I cleared my throat. "Unless you have something else you'd rather do?"

"No, this is fine," he replied slowly. His eyebrows furrowed further, like I was a sonnet from Shakespeare that he couldn't quite make the meaning out of.

"Okay," I nodded. "If you want, I can do a majority of the essay. Writing's easier for me. Or we can just do everything together. It doesn't really matter to me."

He just shrugged.

All right, I was not going to be the only one making the decisions here. Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on the desk, equally trying to serious and laid back. Not an easy feat. "Okay, what are you thinking?"

The corner of his lips twitched. "What are _you_ thinking?" he shot back, only his tone was a bit accusatory.

I sat back and slumped in my seat, debating. I could tell him about my curiosity or I could stick with the project. I decided with a combination of the two.

Tapping my index finger to my chin, I answered, "Well, I'm just wondering exactly how difficult you're going to make this and, honestly, why? It's just a school assignment; you're not bound to me forever."

Fingers still laced under his chin, Edward raised an insanely perfect eyebrow. "You're not worried about being paired up with the Mean Masen?"

I snorted. How cute of me. "No. And that's a horribly unimaginative nickname."

There was the twitch again. "I think they were aiming for alliteration."

"There's still better words that start with 'M' out there."

He tilted his head. "Such as?"

I looked at him, really looked at him for the first time this hour. Part of me was still stunned that we were having an in depth conversation. He was willingly talking to me. I knew I needed to tread softly here, in fear of losing any ground I was gaining. But one word stuck out among the many in my head to describe the ever present look on his face.

"Melancholy," I settled on.

If it upset him, my word choice, he didn't show it. Picking up two of the sheets, he examined them before passing them back to me.

"I think we can exclude these here," he suggested. "They aren't pertinent. Surplus information."

I tried not to smile too broadly. This was much easier than anticipated. I'd never been more excited about science.


	4. Hiking

By the end of class, I had two projects before me. Thanks to my over-the-top eagerness to be prepared, Edward and I were already ahead of schedule. While everyone else was doing research, the two of us planned out when we would be doing what. There were only two other in-class days of preparation according to the packet. That meant at least one day after school, or maybe a Saturday, to work on the presentation.

"We'll figure it out when it comes to that," Edward had said in regards to how we would order the short PowerPoint.

So, with all that done, I gave myself another experiment to conduct. My hypothesis was that over time, I could get Edward to open up and be my friend. Up close, it was easy to see that there was so much more behind the glare. During the class period, he never smiled. Occasionally, I would say something that seemed to amuse him and the corner of his mouth would flicker involuntarily, but it was the only crack in the mask. I considered it progress.

At the bell ringing when sixth period was done, Edward had given me a monotone goodbye and taken his half of the papers with him. Now that what I had been waiting all day for was over, gym flew by in a flash. Before I knew it, I was in the driveway in front of my house.

I didn't have much homework this time and I was done long before the time Mom arrived home.

"Hi, honey," she greet as she struggled through the door with several bags of groceries in hand. I jumped up from the couch and helped her to the kitchen. "Thank you."

"Yup."

We started putting the food away, Mom taking the fridge and I the cabinets.

"How was school?" she asked.

"It was good," I smiled as I tried not to drop the cans piled in my arms. "Really good."

"What did you do?"

I chose my words carefully, not wanting to let it slip that I hadn't finished my trig the night before. It was a lecture I'd prefer to skip. "We're still on Dickens in English, which is okay. I'm just not his biggest fan. Trig is still a struggle, but please don't tell Dad, it's worse when he tries to explain it."

Mom laughed, knowing exactly what I was talking about. "I won't. How's physics going?"

I paused. "It's pretty good. Yesterday Shetler assigned a project we have to do with a partner."

"Really?" Mom gasped. Even the parents knew what a shock it was. "Who's your partner? I hope you didn't get someone who's lazy."

"No, I didn't," I reassured. "I'm with Edward Masen."

It was her turn to freeze, her hand hovering in midair, just about to put away a bag of apples. "Edward Masen?" Her tone was unsure, like she hadn't heard me correctly.

"Yeah, you know, Dr. Masen's youngest?" Yesterday, I'd known, vaguely at least, what EJ's reaction would have been if I'd told him. My mother, however, was unknown territory. She didn't dislike the Masens, but, like everyone else, she'd moved on from talking about the new family after about a month or so. How much they'd moved on was another question.

"Oh, okay," she relaxed a bit, put the apples in their assigned drawer. "He's a good kid, from what I hear. They all are."

"He seems nice. If a little…," I searched for the word I wanted to use, "lonely. Nobody really interacts with the Masens." Then again, they didn't really interact either."

"That's very disappointing," Mom sighed. "Why people have to be so rude, I'll never understand. I'm glad he's been paired up with you."

I suppressed a smile, somewhat unsuccessfully. A small twinge of guilt crept up, due to my initial ulterior motive for going along with this. What I wanted at first was information, something no one else knew about them, but that was quickly taking a back seat to wanting to be his friend. The former would come in time anyway.

He really did seem lonely. Melancholy, like I'd said.

The groceries were put away and Mom started on dinner as we waited for Dad to get home from the office in Port Angeles.

For the rest of the week, I didn't get a chance to talk to Edward. Mr. Shetler kept his lessons drawn out so they took up all the time between bells. He never seemed to be around during passing period. The only other time I ever saw him was at lunch and my bravery wasn't exactly high enough to approach with his family around. On Friday, however, there was a bit of an interaction.

Jackson was complaining on how he had to work on Saturday even though the weather was supposed to be uncharacteristically warm and sunny for late January, nowhere near the mid-fifties, but that's still good for this far north. His job at the outfitters on the edge of town was a coveted one for its flexible hours and good pay. We all knew his complaining was superfluous. He'd never quit until after high school. And maybe not even then.

The lunch hour was dragging, even more so than on a normal Friday. I was reading the label on my lemonade bottle, not really wanting to participate in the conversation. It had more sugar in it than I was expecting. I'd have to be mindful on what I ate for dinner. Salad was always a safe option.

With my attention in front of me, Abby slapped my leg with her palm repeatedly under the table.

"What?" I hissed though clenched teeth, my thigh throbbing slightly.

"Edward's looking at you," she whispered back. Her torso was twisted so she was facing me completely. She was leaning forward even though she still had to look up at me.

"What do you mean?" I tried to remain casual, pretending that we were discussing something dull and unimportant instead.

"I mean he is practically outright _staring_ at you," she kept her voice low, though her tone scoffed at the idea that I hadn't understood her the first time. The others at our table were too wrapped up in their own world to notice our secluded conversation.

Running my fingers through my ponytail, I tried to glance over Abby's shoulder. His eyes were definitely in my direction. Trying my hardest to be coy, I looked back at Abby, feigning conversation before looking at him again. Edward looked away the second time, but not before I could gauge his expression. It was one of curiosity and concentration. He glanced at me once more before his eyes flickered away again.

So, it wasn't just normal gazing around room in boredom. He was staring at me for a purpose. But what about me could be so confusing or require concentration on that level?

I stared back with the same questioning look I'd seen from him. Out of my peripheral, Abby stood up and snapped her fingers in front of my face, causing me to jump just a bit.

"Good thing you sit at the front of the room," she mused.

I frowned at her and snatched my tray off the table. We didn't speak on our way to class. From the tightness around Abby's lips and the twinkle in her eye, I suspected she was finding all of this, including my sudden attitude, amusing.

I didn't talk to Edward during class. He still sat in the very back and, even if I'd thought of anything logical to say, Shetler kept the lesson going until the end of class. Edward was one of the farthest students form the door, but when that annoying chime echoed through the building, he was the first one out the door.

Damn.

Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I contemplated maybe "running into him" in the parking lot after school. No, better not. I didn't want to come off as overeager or even stalkerish. But if I wanted the whole friend thing to work, I'd need to talk to him outside of our project.

"Next week," I told myself. I'd take the weekend to really think of the best way to start the conversation.

Here I was, making another deal with future me. I'm sure on Monday I wouldn't be as agreeable to the arrangement as I had been the last time.

The average teenager can sleep in until somewhere between the hours of ten in the morning to one in the afternoon. I, on the other hand, went against the current and woke up to my alarm at seven-thirty sharp.

I threw on warm clothes and quietly made my down the stairs with my hiking boots in hand and my favorite jacket draped over my arm. It was a faded sky blue color with pockets everywhere, including one on the right sleeve near the shoulder.

After eating a quick breakfast, I brushed my teeth using an extra toothbrush I stored in the downstairs bathroom. A note in my sloppy hybrid writing was left safely on the counter for Mom and Dad in case they forgot where I'd be. Hopping to the door and tugging on my boots, I double checked to make sure I had the map, compass, my camera, and plenty of water. The guys were in charge of snacks. I jumped into the car and my smile grew wider the closer I got to La Push.

The parking lot of the general store just inside the reservation was virtually empty when I pulled in. Two boys – who looked more like men – stood with their backs to me, talking to each other. One was just smaller than the other, not quite as much muscle, with curly hair that stopped at the nape of his neck. The other boy had his medium length hair up in a bun on the top of his head. I huffed as I turned off the engine.

Alex and Graham turned around when they heard me slam my car door with extra force.

"There she is," Alex sing-songed.

"Better late than never," Graham teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Please, I'm only five minutes late, tops."

The guys were dressed in thin hoodies that were more like shirts and cutoff cargos with tennis shoes. They were insane, but I didn't say anything. Even if there was snow on the ground, that's how they dressed. If they wore shirts at all. EJ used to wear more sensible clothing for these exhibitions, but after the two week "event" he started dressing the same way. I glanced around the parking lot, search for the third boy.

"Where is he?" I tried to keep my tone light.

Guilty looks came across their faces. Graham rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, you see, Sloane," Alex started.

"Are you serious?" I yelled. "I'm gonna – Ah!"

Two giant arms encircled my waist in an unbreakable vice and lifted me up off my feet. I struggled, kicking my fee at the air and pulling at the tan arms that refused to let go. Alex and Graham just laughed no help at all.

"Come one, EJ," I grunted. "Let go!"

Chuckling in my ear, the big brute finally put my feet back on the ground. I whirled around and shoved him hard in the chest. He didn't even budge. I might as well have been shoving my car.

"That's not funny," I grumbled, staring up at him. EJ was roughly the same size as Alex, with muscles that didn't belong on a seventeen-year-old. His short, thick hair was wet and it sprayed drops of water everywhere as he ran his fingers through it.

"Very much worth it," he laughed.

I glared at him, trying to look mad and intimidating. "If you three are done playing I'm going to go hiking."

While they were busy high-fiving each other, I marched to my car and got in. I started the engine and they still didn't move. Rolling down my window, I called out, "Of course, I can just go by myself, I don't mind."

When my window was closed, the three of them exchanged weary glances before scrambling towards the car. They pulled at the handles, but the doors didn't budge.

"Sloane, open the door," EJ ordered. I revved the engine in response. "Okay, I'm sorry. Happy, now?"

Smirking, I unlocked the doors. They climbed in and I followed the one-oh-ten out.

"That wasn't funny," EJ growled from the passenger's seat. The other two were in the back, already chowing down on the meal bars they'd brought.

I gave EJ a sideways glare. "What? Locking you out of the car? Talk about a double standard."

"No," he leaned his back against the door, not wearing his seat belt. I hated when he didn't wear it and he knew that, but I kept my mouth shut. That wasn't the pressing matter right now.

"I meant about you hiking alone. It's not safe, I've told you that."

Keeping my eyes on the road, I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. "Don't act like we didn't grow up in the same woods."

"That's not what I'm saying."

The crumpling of wrappers stopped. In the rearview mirror I could see Alex and Graham leaning forward, their eyes anxious as they watched EJ. His fists were trembling in his lap. Alex reached out and touched his shoulder.

"Then what?" I pressed. "I used to go hiking by myself all the time. Now just because you say so, I can't?" Initially, I'd only said it to get the guys to move their butts. EJ had asked me not to go alone in the past, but it was just him being cautionary or joking about me leaving him out. It'd never been this harsh.

"Sloane, there are dangerous creatures out there," he said, calmer now. His hands had stopped shaking. "We don't want to see you get k- hurt."

I frowned. His phrasing was weird. "Creatures"? Why not just say animals? Yeah, bears and wolves could be dangerous, but I knew what I was doing. The guys were becoming more like annoying overprotective big brothers. And I already had one of those.

The road came to an end and I pulled over to a parking spot close to the trail marker. We all got out. I threw my bag over my shoulders, tightening the straps so it sat close to my back. EJ came around the car, an apologetic look on his face.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He stared down at me. Sometimes the height difference between us was endearing, others it was annoying. Unfortunately, for me, this time was the former. I fought back a smile, but it leaked out. I couldn't help it; he looked so much like a kicked puppy with those brown eyes staring down at me.

After a playful punch to the stomach, I leaned into EJ and curled up into his chest as he wrapped his arms around me into a hug, resting his chin on my hair. Even through his long-sleeved shirt and my thick jacket, his arms radiated heat. I hoped he didn't force himself out here when he's sick. That was an excuse I wouldn't argue.

"Hey guys!" Alex called out. "You ready or what?"

EJ and I pulled away, neither of us phased at the intimacy. Strange.

"Where should we start?" Graham asked.

"I kind of want to start where we did last time," I pointed to area left of the trailhead. "But go just a bit more to the west."

Unzipping the largest pocket, EJ took out the map, pulling a pen out of his own pocket. He pulled the lid off with his teeth and used the pen as a pointer, picking out the line on the hand drawn grid that matched closest to what I wanted.

"So, you want to go this way?" he guessed.

I nodded. Technically, we could use our phones to track our movements in real time. It'd be easier. Both satellite and ground tower signal had vastly improved in this area, even better than it was fifty years ago. There were hundreds of apps that could even be used on my watch to save my phone battery, as if it would ever go dead, but that took the fun out of it. I preferred the old fashioned way.

"Let's get started."

We cut through the trees, into nature and away from civilization.

EJ was in charge of the map while Alex watched the compass, together keeping us all on track so we could find our way back to the car. Graham was in charge of me. I wasn't extremely clumsy, only a tad, but there have been a few accidents when I was messing with my camera and not paying attention to my footing. No hospital visits, but the cuts and bruises still weren't pretty.

About forty-five minutes into our trek, I found a giant evergreen that had fallen during the last storm. It was leaning against its sister tree at an odd angle. The fallen tree should have taken down the other, but it kept its ground. Both were covered in a thick moss that was hanging between the two trees like a curtain hiding another world behind it.

Seeing the potential, I dropped down to the ground on my stomach. The earth was still wet from last night's sprinkle and I knew I would regret it when I stood up. Using my elbows as leverage, I took several shots of the trees, a few wide ones and several zoomed in to different spots. Standing up, I brushed off all the leaves, moss, and dirt from my jacket and jeans that I could.

"She's always got to get dirty on these things," Alex scolded.

"There's no adventure if you come out clean," I countered. The wet jeans, however, was going to be uncomfortable.

We walked for another two hours, occasionally stopping so I could take a picture or the guys could eat. The endless pits of their stomachs amazed me. Though it was barely hitting fifty degrees, my face was sweating, causing my bangs that usually hung straight across my forehead to gather in wet clumps. Giving up, I pushed them off to the side.

EJ soon found a tree perfect for climbing. Without even a little hesitation, all three of them raced up the bark to see how high they could get. I shook my head as I captured it on film. How I wished I could have their fearlessness.

"Sloane, come up here!" EJ yelled from about twenty feet up the tree.

"Nah, thanks!" I yelled back. "I'm good!"

"Chicken!" Alex mocked. Graham even clucked at me.

Refusing to give in to their peer pressure, I stood my ground. "You guys are going to break your necks!"

"That's half the fun!" One of them crowed. They were too far up for me to distinguish one from the other.

Bouncing from foot to foot, my nerves started tingling. One of them was going to fall. Sure, they were swinging up the branches pretty gracefully for muscled up teenagers, but the moss was slippery. I didn't breathe normally until they started coming down. About ten feet from the ground, they all jumped, flipping through the air in sync, and landed just a few feet in front of me.

"You all could have joined the circus if they weren't banned twenty years ago," I muttered sourly. They hardly noticed. EJ grabbed Alex and slung his arm around his neck, putting Alex in a choke hold. Graham jumped on EJ's back, sending all of them to the ground. They'll be dirtier than me at the end of this.

Then it was a free-for-all.

Arms crossed and head shaking, I couldn't help but smile. They were so much like a family, it made my heart swell. And they looked like brothers, too, reinforcing the idea. As more and more people settled in the area, other physical features not traditional among the Quileute started showing up in their offspring. Alex's sister even had blue eyes.

But these three, along with a few other boys they hung out with, looked pure Quileute. As mad as I would get when they hung out and did exciting things, like cliff diving, without me, I understood it a little. They each shared a heritage that I would never be a part of.

Their similar appearance made my mind bring up the Masens. How – besides the twins – none of them were related and yet they all had the same complexions, the same dark, bruise-like circles under their eyes. My stalkerish tendencies had picked up more than they ever had before, now that I was looking extra hard during the lunch hour.

They all had dark eyes that clashed with their different hair colors. Especially Edward's. Up close, even without the glare, his black eyes looked severe against the backdrop of his smooth, pale skin and coppery bronze hair. My fingers twitched as my mind focused on the silky strands of his hair. I wanted to capture the impossibly color on film, to always have it perfectly preserved.

Lost in the maze of my thoughts, I didn't notice the stray hand that escaped the play fight and wrapped around my ankle. The arm pulled, sending me to my butt.

"Shit!"

The guys stopped and stared at me as I rubbed my sore cheeks.

"Which one of you did that?" I demanded. They scrambled to their feet, but no one fessed up.

EJ stepped towards me. I held out my hand expectantly, but he ignored it, scooping me up in his arms. There was a brief pause and then he set me on my feet. No one spoke.

Leaves rustled against the ground somewhere behind me. Strange, there was no wind today. Suddenly, the guys were on high alert. Graham sniffed the air, wincing just a bit. I didn't smell anything.

"Come on." EJ nudged me out of my daze. "We need to head back."

"What? Why?" I protested. "We've hardly seen anything new."

"I think it's time for some real food."

I huffed. Boys and their stomachs. They sure liked being able to eat practically anything and still stay solid muscle. The little green monster started poking her head out, but I shoved her back down.

"Fine."

We trekked back. I purposefully walked slow, adding an extra forty-five minutes to our journey. From the looks EJ was throwing me, the irritation revenge was working.

When we broke through the trees, we'd settled on Sully's, the local burger joint in Forks, to eat. Their fries were to die for.

"Sloane, can you stop back at the store first?" EJ asked.

"Um, sure," I nodded.

At the fork back into town, I kept straight, turning into the spot I'd parked in earlier at the store. The guys scrambled out and through the automatic doors without a word to me. For a minute or two I flipped through the music stations on my stereo. Then, all the water I'd taken in on the hike hit me at once. I got out of the car quickly.

The bathrooms were located at the back of the store. In the corner near the coolers, the guys were standing around, whispering. But they'd been joining by two older men. Boyce Clearwater and EJ's dad. They hadn't notice me passing them.

Being shorter than the tall shelves had its advantages. Quietly, I edged towards them, listening hard. I had a nosey personality and there was a secrecy radiating off of this little meeting.

"…smelled different," EJ said in a hushed tone.

"It's a new one," Alex agreed.

"If Sloane hadn't been there–"

"We'll change a few routes," EJ's dad added in.

My ears were burning. What had the guys noticed that I didn't? What smell? All I had been able to smell was wet dirt and evergreen trees.

I didn't get to find out. My bladder was screaming at me, threatening to embarrass me. I ran to the bathroom, thankful it was empty.

When I came out, Boyce was gone. Not needing to hide this time, I walked up to the group, smiling innocently.

EJ's dad nodded at me. "Hello, Sloane."

"Hi," I greeted back.

He turned away from me. "We'll take care of it. I'll see you three later tonight." He walked away and the guys' serious faces melted into goofy grins.

It was for show, but I let it slide. I was always in the dark and, as much as I hated it, I didn't have a valid reason to push.

"Who's ready for some food?" Graham clapped his hands, rubbing them together.

I rolled my eyes and headed for the exit.

 **AN: Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter, but things are going to start rolling from here! I hope you guys are enjoying it! Thank you to everyone who has followed, reviewed, and favorite this story. It means a lot to me! Happy reading!**


	5. Ambush

The rest of the weekend I spent planning the Monday ambush as I was left mostly on my own. After Sully's, the guys had ditched me, citing chores that needed to be done. They didn't let me take them back to La Push, instead electing to jog back. The weirdos.

I was left to my own devices since Mom and Dad decided to try their luck in Seattle for flooring. They took the bullet train instead of driving themselves to have more time at the depot.

Trying to find a subject that Edward would be willing to have a conversation about, I tuned to the net. Our school, like serval others across the country, had a secure online connection site to get the students to interact with each other more, put together events and such as. I knew it'd be a dead end – they didn't seem the type to want to go to a poetry night at the coffee shop – but I tried it anyway. According to the log, none of the Masens have used their sign on. Undeterred, I moved to the broader web. That's when things got strange.

Edward wasn't anywhere on the most popular social media websites. They defined our generation, even more so than our grandparents, the "millennials". Now that sites were faster, more secure with constant information being thrown at us, we were more plugged in than ever.

I tried looking up Alice as well, thinking her personality fit with the present times more, but again, I came up empty. Then I searched the rest of them. How could five teenagers completely avoid any form of social internet interaction? My curiosity kicking into high gear, I turned to the powerhouse Google. They owned almost every other tunnel and even some news stations. They were the biggest archive accessible to the average person. But even it failed me. The only similar match I got name wise was for Edward, but that guy was born back in the early nineteen hundreds, according to an old Chicago census.

No matter how I narrowed my search parameters, I kept coming up empty.

"Well, that was a dud," I muttered to myself as I slumped down on the couch. I still had nothing to talk to Edward about and now I had another mystery on my hands. How could they be so off the grid that any search brought up nothing? That was nearly impossible. I needed them to teach me their ways.

To try and think about something else, I turned to my massive movie collection to keep me company. The small discs took up nearly two bookshelves on either side of the projector wall space, save for a few of Mom's decorations.

Immediately action flicks were out, their plots too basic and void of complications to keep my mind occupied. Horror films weren't good for me to watch when I had the house to myself; it had a tendency to make strange noises that sent my imagination into overdrive. I settled on a period romance, one of my favorites. The latest version of _Pride & Prejudice._

Yeah, it's a bit of a cliché to like the classics, especially Jane Austen, but just look at Mr. Darcy. When you're a hopeless romantic, like me, you can't help but swoon at his broody, mysterious nature. The way he seemed cut off from the world, but just needed someone to break down his walls.

Edward's face flashed in my mind and my eyes snapped open.

Great. So much for distraction.

I weighed heavily on picking a different movie, but my heart was already set on the drama. I commanded the disc reader to play the movie and tried not to imagine Edward in breeches and a tailcoat.

Once it was over and Elizabeth was married to Darcy, I watched two more Austen movies before calling it quits. At barely nine o'clock, I was ready for bed. My early morning made it easy to fall asleep.

Sunday was spent in a similar fashion. I added in some reading between movie watching, contemplating if Edward had a favorite book, and double checked my trig homework. I helped my parents clean around the house, as I mulled over more possible topics. I was so lost in my own thoughts I hadn't heard what Dad was trying to tell me while I was spraying down the counters in the kitchen. Apparently, Mom had finally chosen the flooring for the upstairs. Redwood. Unfortunately, it was going to take almost a month to get here since they had to special order.

When I crawled into bed, early again, I was sore from both Saturday's hiking and the day's dusting and sweeping, and worse, I was no more prepared to talk to Edward than I was Friday.

I woke up well before my alarm, throwing on a green sweater and jeans before tossing my hair back in a ponytail. After chowing down on my usual cereal, I ran out the door. The plan was to be one of the first people in the parking lot. Right outside Building One there was an old lunch table that was a perfect circle with a matching bench where I could sit and watch the lot for a familiar black Tesla.

The car enthusiasts were practically drooling when the Masens pulled into the school grounds on the first day of last semester. Most of us drove vehicles that were a decade or so old, but not even teachers drove something that nice.

Only two other cars were there when I pulled in. It wasn't raining for once, but the clouds were dark and foreboding. I sat at the table, facing the entrance, and waited.

I jumped every time a black four-door drove by, but it was never the one I wanted. The other students came in clumps, hanging out more towards the center of the courtyard. Thankfully, no one seemed inclined to join me.

With less than fifteen minutes to spare, that shiny Tesla pulled into a spot on the edge of the lot. I watched as the five siblings got out of the car and made their way towards the school. Acting casually, I sifted through my bag, which was nowhere near full, and pulled out its few contents like my book, tablet, and notebook. I wanted to look busy, but there was nothing else to search for, so I faked it.

When I looked up, the Masens were passing me already, and beginning to split up to their respective classes. How did they get up here so fast?

I scrambled to put my stuff back in my bag and untangled myself from the picnic table without falling on my face. He was about ten feet behind me now.

"Edward!" I called out, running up to him. He stopped mid-step and turned his head to me. His eyebrows were knitted together when I stopped beside him.

"Good morning," I greeted, smiling at him.

He didn't smile back, but at least he didn't look angry. "Good morning, Sloane."

I took his cooperation as a good sign. "How as your weekend?"

"Productive," he replied, his voice loosening up on the monotone indifference. "And yours?"

I froze. Not because he was helping along the conversation, but because his eyes were no longer the black I remembered that stuck out so severely. Now they were a soft gold, maybe even amber.

 _Maybe it's just colored contacts. A lot of people wear them these days_ , I told myself. But when I searched his eyes for the tell-tale outer rim around the iris, there was nothing.

"Sloane?"

I shook my head, trying to get back to the task at hand.

"Right, sorry. My weekend. It was good. I did some hiking."

"Not by yourself, I hope," he chastised. "The woods can be dangerous."

Trying not to be irritated by his obvious chivalry, I reassured him, "No, I went with a couple of guys from La Push."

A deep frown flashed on his lips before disappearing back to their normal flatness. Was the dislike between the Masens and the Quileute mutual?

"So, what was the reason you were waiting for me?" Edward asked bluntly.

I was caught, but that didn't mean I had to fess up. "Waiting for you? I just saw you and thought I'd say hi. Get to know my physics partner."

I didn't know how, but apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Without a reply, Edward turned on his heels and stalked away.

"Wait–"

 _Rrrrring._

I groaned. "Stupid bell." I ran to English with about a minute to spare before the final bell could count me late.

I would give him space. That's what I concluded. Edward was different. Not just in "he doesn't quite fit in" different. His eyes changed colors over the weekend and he was fine with small talk, but then I used that fateful phrase "get to know" and it was like flipping a switch. What was he hiding?

At lunch, only four were sitting at their normal table. Edward was nowhere to be seen in the bright, florescent room.

Around the time my eyes had drifted over to the Masens' table for the fourth time, just out of habit now, Alice caught my glance and waved.

Stunned, I waved back. Rosalie threw Alice a dark look, but it didn't faze her. She got up, threw away her untouched food and skipped out of the cafeteria.

 _And then there were three_.

"Did Alice Masen just wave at you?" Jackson asked, astonished.

I shrugged, trying to play if off as if it was an everyday thing. "We have English together."

Abby pursed her lips. I'm sure she was thinking the same as I was. Alice hadn't acknowledged me, or anyone else, today in class. So what happened between then and now?

 _I wonder…_

Excusing myself from the table, I threw my lunch away as quizzical looks followed me, and headed out in the same direction as Alice.

When I found her, I had to fling myself back behind the wall I was rounding. She was standing by the same table that I had sat at that morning. Edward was sitting across from her. By luck neither of them saw me. I sunk down to the ground, pressing my back into the brick building as I peeked around the corner.

The conversation seemed to be one sided. Alice stood there, arms crossed. Edward's lips were moving, practically quivering from the speed, but he was talking so low that I couldn't catch a single word. He'd pause every so often, like he was waiting for or listening to a reply from Alice, but one never came.

Suddenly, Edward stood up, throwing his hands in the air.

"Stop it, Alice!" He growled, just loud enough for me to hear. "The only reason I agreed to come back here is because it was safest for all of us. That is it!" He stormed off. Alice stayed there, her hands moving to rest behind her back, like her brother had simply stated that he had homework to do and for her to have a nice day instead.

Standing up, I slowly walked to physics wearily, unsure of what might be waiting for me.

I was not surprised when Edward had reverted back to the scowl in class. In the forefront of my mind, I paid extra attention to the lesson. On the backburner, I let simmer the idea of giving him space. The next in-class work day was Thursday. He could have Tuesday and Wednesday to brood, but Thursday he would have to put up with me.

So, that's what I did. There was no tracking him down, staring at him during lunch, and no forced small talk.

Abby noticed my sudden lack of interest in the Masens. When she asked about it after English on Wednesday, I simply shrugged. I wasn't really indifferent now, just being patient. But I didn't want to lie to her. So wordless answer it was.

Thursday morning came and it was another day spent in an anxious state. In trig, Mrs. Borden called on me and even moved my work on my tablet to the electric board for the class to see. Worse, not only was my answer wrong, but she proceeded to go through my work step by step to show exactly where I went wrong. I'm sure it was a good teaching tool, but in front of the whole class, it was mortifying. I came out alive, though.

At lunch I kept my attention on Lynn and Jackson's argument over a new movie that was coming out this weekend. Jackson thought the action thriller was going to be something we hadn't seen before; "genre-changing" is how he phrased it.

Lynn, on the other hand, was very adamant that it was just going to be the same rehash that Hollywood's been doing for over a century. How they could _still_ be making money on those movies was beyond me.

Finally, with no conclusion to argument, the time came to go to class, ending the mind-numbing conversation. I loved my friends, but sometimes I couldn't stand what they wanted to talk about.

Mr. Shelter spent the first half of class finishing up yesterday's lesson. Jackson was bouncing his leg rapidly a few rows down, something he only did when he was impatient or nervous. The whole mood of the class was restless, wanting to get started on their projects as soon as possible.

"Okay," Shelter said, putting down the stylus. "Get to work."

Everyone around me scrambled to get with their partners. Taking my time, I removed my part of the project from my bag and joined Edward, moving the same desk to face him as last time.

I was, admittedly, still a little sour about Monday, but I told myself it didn't matter, it wouldn't affect anything. I sat down without really glancing at him and spread out my work. "So–"

"Sloane."

My head shot up. I'd fully expected him to give me another silent treatment until I forced words out of him. I had a whole plan on how to do it nicely, even. I thought I was doing a good job masking my shock as indifference, but I must have failed because Edward's lip twitched upward for just a second before smoothing out again.

"Yes," I urged him to continue. I had to be honest, I liked how he said my name, drawn out, every letter pronounced.

"I want to apologize for my behavior on Monday," he frowned and looked down at the space between us. "You simply caught me off guard."

I scrunched my eyebrows together, not quite believing him. The "caught off guard part", anyway. His apology seemed sincere. I wondered if Alice put him up to it.

"It's okay," I smiled softly. His hands were folded out in front of him. I resisted the urge to reach out and grasp them. Were they cold like Alice's? "I just thought that since we'd be working together, we could also be friends. You look like you could use one."

"I'm not a good friend to have," he murmured, more to himself than to me.

"Shouldn't I be the judge of that?" I argued.

"People are the worst judges of what is good for them," he countered, looking up at me.

"True," I nodded. "But only in certain cases. Everything is subjective. Someone like me who has a very good grip on what's good for them could still want to be your friend. And they should be the only making that decision for themselves."

"Let's say the theory has been tested and proven that I'm not good for people to be around." Edward's expression was almost pained. He wasn't going to relent. That just meant I got to push harder, but treading softly.

"But no experiment ever ends with the exact same results each time." I had to admit, this was a fun argument. For me, at least. "There are changes to different variables each time it's conducted. That's why it's an experiment."

Edward narrowed his golden eyes at me. They were beginning to dull out, not as bright as they were on Monday. "And what major variable do you think is different this time that it won't have the same outcome?" He was getting angry, but visibly holding it back. I wasn't just touching a nerve, I was poking at it. Repeatedly. But I was too far ahead now to stop.

I grinned. "Me."

He growled. "You think very highly of yourself."

My smile didn't wane, even with that blow. "No, I don't," I shook my head. My opinion of myself was actually very low. I pushed away the image of my reflection out of my head. "I just have a cheery disposition."

"That I have noticed," Edward agreed, letting out a short laugh that was absent of any cheer or amusement. He paused. "Except for right now. I had said something that had upset you. Just for a moment."

How did he do that? I know for a fact that I had kept that smile on my face during the falter.

"It doesn't matter," I answered quickly.

"It does to you," he guessed.

Sighing, I shrugged. "We weren't talking about me. Nice try on changing the subject, though."

He huffed, shaking his head. "No wonder Alice likes you."

I perked up. "Alice likes me?"

"Yes," he frowned, not happy with the idea. "Too much."

My watch vibrated on my wrist. A quick glance told me I had a message from Abby. I'd read it later. She was brave to risk it with Shetler's keen eye. But that's not what took me by surprise. It was the fact that we had less than five minutes left of class.

"Well, crap," I sighed. "There went our time. We didn't even get anything done."

"That's all right," Edward shrugged. "We'll finish up next Thursday. Besides, I think we accomplished something today."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "Really?" He nodded. Good. "Oh, by the way, we need to figure out when to work outside of class."

"How about next Saturday?" he suggested. "That way we can work on the presentation."

"Sounds good. We can use my house." I immediately regretted the offer. Mom would have a field day, hovering the entire time. I just didn't want him to suggest his place. Too late now.

"If you would like. Where do you live?"

I took one of his reference sheets and wrote down my address. He picked it up and read it, his face filled with surprise and recognition.

"You know the place?" I asked, though I didn't know how he could. We moved in before they were ever here.

"No."

The bell rang and Edward folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

"I will see you tomorrow, Sloane." He flitted out of the classroom.

I stared at the tile, trying to put pieces of a puzzle together that were refusing to fit and make a picture. But I understood what at least one piece was screaming at me. He was absolutely lying.

 **AN: And the ball keeps rolling! Shout out to everyone who was followed, favorite-d, and reviewed this story! I am actually quite proud of it! I hope you guys enjoy the next one!**


	6. Beginning

In one fell swoop, gym went from being in my top three favorite classes to all the way near the bottom, just above trig.

We were starting basketball, the sport that I hated yet everyone else seemed to love. Even Tanner was excited as he sat next to me on the bench. We were given one day respite while listening to the rules that Coach Riker had established and how the teams would be split up. Tomorrow, though, the torture started.

Abby was waiting to ambush me after school let out. She hopped up to me, frowning. Why didn't anyone smile anymore?

"Did you get my text?"

"Uh." I looked down at my wrist where a faint blue light was flashing. Oops. "I saw the alert in class, but I didn't get a chance to read it."

"Ugh," Abby groaned in frustration. "What were you two talking about?"

"The project," I lied nonchalantly.

Abby placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "No, you weren't. It was way too intense between the two of you to be talking about the stupid project."

I walked passed her, careful not to break out in a run, confirming her suspicions.

"Come on, Sloane," she whined as she kept up with me. "Why are you keeping this from me? What's the big deal?"

"Nothing!" I snapped. I stopped walking, turning to face her. "Look, I talked to Edward this morning and he got crabby with me. In class, he apologized for it."

"That's it?" she questioned skeptically.

I wasn't going to explain everything to her. She wouldn't understand anyway. Or she'd read into everything.

"We talked about the presentation," not a total lie, "and we talked about being friends."

Abby's jaw went slack. "Are you serious?"

"We _talked_ about it," I emphasized, deflating just a bit. "It's not going to happen, I don't think. He's used to being on his own." I didn't know if that was the real reason, but it seemed the best fit.

"What about his family?"

"I don't think they count."

She didn't totally buy it, but I was able to escape to home. Mom was already there when I walked through the door. She was on the phone with one of her girlfriends. After waving to her to let her know I was home, I set up in the living room to do my homework. It kept me busy well after Dad got back.

When dinner was eaten, Dad turned on the news while he went through paperwork. Mom looked over some more renovation stuff as I pulled out a book. Whatever tragedy or political rant was on was nothing but background noise. Just a normal evening in the Summers household.

I was the last one to tap out around ten, dragging my feet up the stairs to shower and brush my teeth before sliding in to my warm bed.

Friday morning came after a peaceful night's rest and I didn't know what to expect. It seemed maybe Edward and I had reached some strange, tentative form of understanding.

When I pulled into the parking lot I couldn't help but find the Tesla, like a magnet my mind couldn't rip off. I parked a few rows down from it and headed to class. Then my heart did a backflip.

Sitting at the same table that had gotten quite a show the day before was Edward. I fought whether or not I should keep walking or stop. I chose the former.

"It's very rude to ignore people, Sloane Summers," Edward said before I could get two steps past him.

"How was I supposed to know you were waiting for me?" I pointed out as I turned around and sat across from him.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should have waved?"

"Kind of helps," I replied sarcastically.

There was something different about him today. He still didn't smile, but the anger had subsided greatly. With Edward, it was like taking a sledge hammer to a concrete wall. After lots of effort, cracks began to form, but occasionally, the wall fought back, sending tiny shards of rock back at you. The cuts were minor, inconsequential, but could still sting.

"Did you have a nice evening?" he asked. Though his voice was soft, his eyebrows were pushed together, creating a perfect little crease above the bridge of his nose. He seemed to be in unfamiliar territory. I had a sneaky feeling that this was some sort of experiment of his own. Well, I would gladly play along.

"It was okay," I shrugged, picking at the paint that was flaking on the rusted metal. "I finished my homework and read mostly. What about yours?"

"More or less the same," he answered.

I clicked my tongue. "More or less the same as mine or the same as what you always do? If it's the latter, I don't really know what that it."

Edward narrowed his eyes. It wasn't a glare this time, more curiosity or confusion. I seemed to do that to him a lot.

"More of the same as what you did."

"Really?" I scooted further to the edge of my seat, closer to Edward, eager to know more. I kept rowing upstream in my little boat, fighting the current. "What did you read?"

I'm not sure what answer I was expecting. He didn't seem like a magazine guy and hopefully was more exciting than some scientific textbook. However, his answer was nowhere near what I would have guessed.

"I was just brushing up on my Shakespeare."

I snorted. "Really? Wasn't it our sophomore year that we studied those plays?" Then I realized my goof. "I mean, I guess you weren't here last year."

"I've studied them before," Edward clarified. He tilted his head to the side, still studying me. "Do you not like him?"

I made a face. I'd hoped Edward would crack a smile, but no luck. "He's okay. A bit of a downer. I prefer happier endings."

"But Shakespeare did write happy endings," he challenged.

I scoffed. "Yeah, but they were too convenient. Real life isn't wrapped up in a nice little bow like that. They're more of happy endings with a little bitter sweetness to them."

"Real life doesn't have happy endings," Edward snapped, the pained look back. His eyes were darker again today, getting closer to black, but still golden.

And I had done it again. Something that I'd said had set him off and caused him to push back. Part of me wanted to hide in a hole, whisper sorry and run away. But I couldn't. The sadness of Edward Masen made me stay.

"You're wrong," I told him bluntly.

He straightened up, visibly taken aback by my forwardness. "What makes you say that?"

"People mark down points in their lives as unpassable," I explained. Edward stared off at nothing, unmoving, but he seemed to be listening. "Like a permanent injury or losing a loved one. It's just a blip on your timeline. That doesn't mean they aren't important, just that they aren't the end."

Edward's hands curled into fists, clutching each other. The skin on his knuckles was tight, turning even whiter than the rest of him.

"Somethings you can't just 'get over'," he growled.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. This was a whole new level I wasn't prepared for. "I didn't mean it like that. Some blips are bigger than others. Over time, you can find a reason to be happy again, if you _let_ yourself look for it." All of a sudden, I had not control over my body. I watched in surprise as I reached for him and my fingers dropped on his own clenched hands. They were ice cold and gone in a flash.

Sighing, Edward had put them in his lap. Embarrassed, I did the same with my own. All anger was gone from him as he stood up. I followed suit.

"We should probably get to class," he suggested. "You don't want to be late for your favorite one."

I stood there, just staring at him, opened mouthed. My mind ran through every conversation we've had. I never told him how I loved English.

"Sloane?"

"What? Sorry?" My thoughts were all messed up. "Right. Class."

I headed towards Building Three. Edward stayed by my side. I stared at him, but kept walking.

"What are you doing?"

Edward gave me a look like it should have been obvious. "Walking you to class."

Okay. "Why?"

"Do you not want me to?"

"No, its fine," I assured. "Just took me by surprise." Mr. Darcy flashed in my mind. But he doesn't exist.

"Chivalry isn't completely dead." He was almost teasing, except for the constant frown.

At the building, I expected him to start to head to his own first period, but he saw me all the way to Mr. Rosner's door.

"Guess I'll see you in Physics?" I said awkwardly.

"I'll see you at lunch," he corrected. His eyes flickered over my shoulder, glaring. I followed his gaze to Alice, who was staring straight ahead at the board, but she was smiling, practically glowing. I turned to ask Edward what Alice had done to make him made, but he was gone.

Abby was staring at me, her mouth hanging wide open as I sat down in my desk beside her.

During the lesson I kept my face forward, but that didn't completely block out Abby's sideways glances and head shaking.

As if he knew I was trying to avoid any confrontation, Rosner ended his lecture with a few minutes to spare on the hour. Abby sprang.

"What the hell was that?" she hissed, leaning across the aisle.

"What do you mean?" Playing stupid was definitely the wrong choice.

Steam was rolling off of her. "You know damn well–"

"Sloane."

Abby stopped and we both turned to the high pitched voice that had spoken my name.

Alice was also leaning out of her desk and into the aisle. Her black hair was sticking up in its normal, quirky way and her eyes, like her brother's, were now a dull gold.

"Yeah, Alice?" I leaned towards her. Maybe she'd tell me what happened right before class.

"Can I talk to you after class?"

I nodded "Of course."

She smiled and turned back to face the front. Abby threw her hands in the air, letting out an exasperated sigh. About a minute and a half later, I followed Alice out of the room. She walked into a side hallway that was deserted.

"What's up Alice?"

"Well, I'm technically not supposed to talk to you," she confessed.

I laughed. "Says who?"

"Edward's just worried," Alice explained. "After last time– well, he just doesn't think we should get involved."

"Involved?" I echoed. "But Edward talks to me."

Alice outed. "I know, the hypocrite. But we don't say anything because he seems to be doing better. Even Rosalie is keeping her mouth shut. That's actually why I wanted to talk to you. To say thank you. You 've always been kind to us, even though everyone else…" she trailed off, shrugging one shoulder.

"Is rude as hell?" I finished for her. "You're welcome, Alice. Your brother is an interesting person. But what do you mean last time? What happened to Edward?"

Like a switch, Alice's smile became formal, off-putting. "I'll see you later, Sloane. Have fun in Photography!" She skipped off before I could stop her.

I stored that tidbit of information away for future use. At least it somewhat explained Edward's attitude change this morning. I ran to Photography, making it to my seat just in time.

I went through my classes in a haze, only fully alert again when Spanish let out late. Today Abby didn't wait for me. She was already sitting down in the cafeteria, flirting with Jackson. I took a step towards them until I saw Edward sitting by himself. He motioned with his head for me to join him. I walked over to his lonesome table, but I didn't sit down.

"What are you doing?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Didn't I say I would see you at lunch?"

"Yeah," I said hesitantly, "but I thought you were just referring to our staring contests." I got the twitch again, but it didn't last long enough to count.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he nodded towards the serving bars.

I looked at the lunch line. Now that I'd been distracted, the line was at its max. I sat down. "I'll wait for the line to die down."

"You'll miss all the good food," he pushed.

I looked pointedly at the tray of food in front of him. "Like you usually do?"

The crease in his forehead was back. "You're too observant."

I threw my hands up in a "what can you do" manner. "I get told that a lot. Call it my superpower. So, why don't you guys ever eat?"

"We're vegetarians," he answered all too quickly and stiffly.

Seriously? "They have salad." Edward just stared at me. I searched desperately for a new subject. "So, anyway, why isn't Alice allowed to talk to me?"

Edward's face snapped towards his family and I could have sworn a deep hiss was let loose with that look.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get Alice in trouble." I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "I just want to understand. I mean, it's a bit weird, don't you think?"

He dropped his face in his hands. My own itched to comfort him, but this time I kept my control.

"I shouldn't be doing this again," he murmured.

"Doing what?" I slumped back in my chair, crossing my arms.

Looking up at me, Edward copied my pose.

"I told you I wasn't a good friend to have," he exhaled.

I wrinkled my nose. "We aren't really going to have this argument again, are we?"

"No," he shook his head. "At least not now."

I couldn't help but smirk. "Good, because, at least for the next two weeks, you're stuck with me. After that, well, I hope you don't take out a restraining order. That makes it hard to get into college."

And then it happened. Sort of.

The right corner of his mouth slowly crept up. I deflated. Then so did the rest of his mouth about a second later, turning into a side purse of his lips.

 _Doesn't count_. I'll get it sooner or later. It was becoming an obsession.

Edward pushed the tray towards me. "You really should eat."

On the tray was a now lukewarm cheeseburger, a bag of chips, an apple, and soda. I ignored the soda, even though my carbonation craving was killing me, and reached for the apple. I played with it for a moment, breaking the stem off with my fingers. I took a bite, slowly chewing the grainy piece over. About half of the fruit was gone in a few bites. Edward just watched me in silence. I felt awkward, so I took one more bite and placed the apple back on his tray.

"That's it?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really that hungry." That wasn't entirely true. My stomach wasn't rumbling at me, but it could use a bit more food. However, I was too lazy to get back up and get my own tray and I didn't want to miss out on a second of Edward.

He sighed, frowning at me. "All the same, we should probably get to class."

Groaning, I threw my backpack over my shoulder, zipping up my jacket. We were still on water pressure and I couldn't make heads or tails of the different equations.

"Don't worry; we're finishing up the unit today."

"I won't get my hopes up," I muttered.

Edward picked up his wasted food and I followed him as he threw it away. One quick glance at my friends told me I would be paying for ditching them later.

"You might want to put your hood up," Edward warned.

I turned to him. "What?"

In one smooth motion, Edward tugged my hood onto my head, passed me, and held the door open, waiting for me to walk through. His movements were perfect and it bothered me.

Large drops of water pelted my head. Though it'd be cloudy all day, I hadn't expected it to rain. Edward gently grabbed my elbow and pulled me down the sidewalk to the science building so I was no longer blocking the entrance. Once at the classroom where we were the first to arrive, I stripped off the now soaked jacket, my teeth chattering from the cold rain. Edward seemed just fine even with his hair dripping worse than mine and his coat way too thin for this time of year.

He looked down at me, concerned. "Are you all right?"

Shivering, I threw him a look. "Seriously? Aren't _you_ cold?"

Edward coughed, and then straightened up, walking passed me. My mouth gaped open like a fish.

"What?" he paused.

"Did you just laugh?" I gasped.

"Sloane," he said impatiently. "We should really get in the classroom. You're developing a bad habit of blocking doorways."

I walked inside with him. "But that wasn't even funny."

"I didn't laugh," Edward insisted. "I coughed. I might be getting sick and you're lack of concern is disturbing."

I shook my head. "And now you're cracking jokes. Whoa, what are you doing?" Instead of taking his usual seat in the back, Edward sat down in the desk to my left.

"I don't think Shawn will mind," Edward concluded. "He's sick today."

"Yeah, but–"

"Sloane," he said evenly, cutting me off. Only he could say my name so much and not let it get old. "I thought you wanted to be friends? Do you not want to sit by me?"

Of course I did. If I had my way, we'd be skipping class altogether and continuing our conversation uninterrupted. Water was leaking through the dam now, but would happen when the walls crumbled and the water broke free? Would I swim or drown? Maybe Edward was right. Maybe I was playing a game that would only end one way: me getting hurt.

Not physically. I would never slump him in that category. But emotionally? That was a probability. I'd have to be extra careful.

I slid into my desk, deciding to live in the present. Besides, I had a lovely view of the growing eyes of our fellow students as they walked through the door. Jackson even choked on his soda a bit when he spotted us. Serves him right for trying to chug the thing before class started. Even Shetler was surprised at Edward's move, but he masked it better than the others.

Just like Edward had said, at the beginning of class Shetler announced that this would be our last day on water pressure and on Monday we would start projectile motion. I prayed that the next unit would be more merciful to me.

"So, what are your weekend plans?" I asked when class was dismissed. Thankfully, my jacket was mostly dry. However, from the windows it looked like the rain was still going strong.

"I'm not sure," Edward answered. "Do you have anything special planned?"

"Not really," I shrugged. "I don't usually make plans for my weekends, unless it's hiking with the guys. I prefer spontaneity."

"Hmm," he nodded. For a moment I thought maybe he was going to offer to do something with me, but we weren't on that level yet. "Ready to brace the rain?" was all he asked.

"Walking me to gym?" I guessed.

The look flashed on his face again before disappearing again. "It's the gentleman thing to do."

I made an over-the-top motion with my arm. "Let's go."

The rain wasn't coming down quite as hard now, but it was still relentless. Whoever thought of building a non-connected school in the rainiest place in the continental US was clearly on something. Edward stayed with me all the way to the gym door.

"Well, this is my stop," I sighed, reluctant to go inside.

"It won't be as bad as you think," Edward declared. He looked over my shoulder. "However, Tanner will be asking questions the moment he can."

I glance behind me. Sure enough, Tanner was already dressed in his uniform, blatantly staring at us, not even bothering to conceal it.

Rolling my eyes, I waved goodbye. "Wish me luck." I ran inside and to the girl's locker room.

Just as Edward had predicted, Tanner was bombarding me with questions, including the big "D" word.

"No, we are not dating," I repeated again, since he didn't seem to believe me the first time.

"It just came out of nowhere," Tanner defended. We were part of the lucky group that got to sit out the first game since there were only enough of us to form three teams.

"We're partners in Physics," I asserted. "I decided that I wanted to get to know him. Now, we're friends. Everyone else just ignores them, so of course his talking to me is going to seem odd."

"It's just cause they're weird," Tanner protested.

For my more logic-minded friend, he was being ridiculous. "Everyone is weird in high school."

"True," he relented after a moment of silence. "But there's something… off about them. I don't want something bad to happen to you."

I laughed in disbelief. "Tanner, he's not going to kidnap me and keep me in his basement. He just needs someone to talk to."

The questioning look still didn't leave his face. "Sure."

 **AN: Hey everyone! Just wanted to give you a heads up that the chapters are going to be a bit more spaced out when it comes to posting them to the site. With the end of the semester coming up, I won't have too much time for side writing, but I promise they will keep coming! Thank you for sticking by! Please, follow, favorite, and review!**


	7. Cracking

**AN: I AM SO SORRY! What was meant to be a brief break turned into a much longer hiatus. Posting chapters will still probably be touch and go for a while, but I'm going to punch out several here too keep you satisfied. I'm going to push the story forward so we can get to the good stuff! Please, review and comment! Once again, I do not own any of the characters created by Stephanie Meyer. Thank you!**

I've never hated the weekend more. Edward didn't meet me after class so I didn't get a chance to ask him if he wanted to get together sometime. I had no way of contacting him so I'd have to wait until Monday to talk to him again.

Abby hadn't waited for me either, so I ran by myself to my car in the pouring rain.

The dreary weather continued into Saturday. Any outdoor activities were out, but I still called EJ around ten in the morning to see if he wanted to go see a movie in Port Angeles or maybe do something down in Olympia, it didn't matter. I got his voicemail. The message was short, just asking him if he could call me back when he was free. I considered calling Alex and Graham as well, but decided I didn't want to be a pest. I felt bad considering I'd been so preoccupied by Edward that I hadn't even sent a text to EJ to see how his week's been. Now who's the jerk?

He never got back to me. I figured his dad had him doing chores on the rez. Abby never called back either, though her a pestered a little more with a few extra texts. Monday before English I would have to get back on her good side.

I made sure to be ready and in the classroom early that day. Just as I guessed, Abby went straight to her desk and sat down, refusing to look at me. Sighing deeply, I leaned over the aisle and tapped on her desk repeatedly, purposefully trying to be annoying.

"What?" Abby hissed, finally giving up.

"Are you really mad at me?" I pouted. In all honesty, I wasn't exactly sure _what_ she was mad about, but right now it was just better to make peace.

"It's not exactly like you to ditch us during lunch," she bit.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I wasn't exactly planning on it. But I couldn't just leave him there." That definitely couldn't be the only reason she was mad. "Is this about Edward in general?"

"You're spending an awful lot of time with him."

I frowned, "I'm just trying to be his friend."

"To satisfy your curiosity," she countered.

A huff escaped me. "Maybe at first, but he's not bad to talk to. I enjoy it. But why does that make you upset? I'm not ignoring you. I tried to hang out with you this weekend." Okay, so she wasn't my first go-to, but she wasn't a last resort, either.

"Okay," Abby sighed. "It just feels like you're not telling me something."

I laughed. "Oh my goodness, Abby. I'm not keeping anything from you. This isn't a drama."

She sent me the finger. "Fine. Just don't forget us little people."

"Ha ha." I stopped the conversation. Alice was skipping into class. When our eyes met, I threw her a bright smile. The smile I received back wasn't as bright, in fact I seemed to confuse Alice. After she sat down, Abby glanced at me, an eyebrow raised. I just shrugged.

When class ended, I gathered up my materials and walked out alone.

"Sloane."

My heart jumped and I dropped my phone that I had just dug out form my pocket. A pale hand snatched it before it landed on the hard tile.

Edward held it out for me and I quickly returned the device to my jeans.

"W-what are you doing?" I stammered.

"Seeing a friend to class," he said nonchalantly. "Is that all right? I wasn't sure since I didn't see you this morning."

I stopped walking. "You were waiting for me?" When he didn't answer, I smiled. "Hm."

"Did you have a nice weekend?" Edward asked as we neared the photography room.

Not wanting to seem pathetic, I lied, "Yes. Very thrilling and spontaneous."

Apparently, that didn't fool him. "Mine wasn't exciting either. I'm sure we did more or less the same thing."

Outside the classroom, I crossed my arms. "Look at you, acting like you can read me so easily."

"You like green."

I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Green," he repeated. "It's your favorite color. You wear it most often. It goes well with your hair." He gestured to my top.

I looked down. Today, under my heavy jacket, I was wearing a plain green shirt with a front pocket. "Huh. And I thought I was the one with the observation skills."

"I doubt you're as observant as you think you are."

Not to be out done, I gave him a once over and smirked. "Your eyes are going black again."

"What?" His voice was like a whip, snapping and cracking at the air. The anger in his voice wasn't from my simple statement – how could it be? – there was something more underneath it that alarmed him.

I learned that when this happened it was best to just let him be. "The bell's about to ring. You should get to class." Without waiting on him, I fled into the classroom.

Edward wasn't waiting for me after photography or trig, or even Spanish. Worry began to set in that I had really don't it this time and all the progress I'd made just went up in smoke.

I kept my eyes on the food while going through the cafeteria line. It wasn't until after I paid for my meal that I dared to scan the tables. Sure enough, there he was, sitting alone. Causiously, I walked to the table and hovered over the seat across from him.

"Am I allowed to sit down?" I asked timidly.

Edward looked up at me, confused. Why was that look so easy to accomplish, but a simple smile was so damn hard I've only been able to do it once? "Of course. Why else would I be here?"

I shrugged as I shook up my salad, sliding into the plastic chair. "I figured you were mad at me."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not mad at you. Just myself."

"Pause." I threw my hands up in a time out "T". "I'm pressing the skip button on this conversation. I already know where it's headed."

"Maybe it's a conversation we need to have," he pressed.

"Not today," I said in between bites of Caesar drench lettuce. "I'm not in the mood."

Edward scowled at me, but he didn't continue to push. His eyes drifted down to my salad. "Why are you always eating that?"

I froze. "This?"

He nodded. "Don't you enjoy eating other foods?"

Staring down at my tray, I stabbed the lettuce a little too harshly. "Yes, I enjoy other foods, but I have to watch what I eat."

"Why?"

"I just do, okay!" I snapped harsher and louder than I had meant to, but I kept seeing old images of me from middle school in my head. I ate in silence for several minutes. Edward just watched me, the crease between his eyebrows telling me he wasn't sure of what to say. Dropping my fork, I covered my face with my hands, utterly embarrassed at my outburst. "I'm sorry."

"No, Sloane, I apologize," Edward countered, every word completely sincere. "I shouldn't have continued."

I looked up at him, thinking about how I must look to him now. "It's just a touchy subject."

"Of course. I won't mention it again."

"Besides," I quipped, picking the plastic fork back up, "if we're going to talk about anyone's diet around here, we should talk about yours."

Edward stiffened, locking all his muscles in place. "Why?"

I snorted. "You never eat _anything_. At least at lunch. That's not healthy for you. You need to digest _something_ to stay strong."

And that's what did it. Edward let out a genuine, but short laugh that actually left a smile on his lips. And it was beautiful.

He caught me staring. "Sloane?"

I blinked. "Sorry. What?"

"We should probably get to class."

I grinned. "Yeah. Let's go."

Edward picked up my tray and threw the contents away. Though the full smile was gone, the corners of his mouth were still slightly turned up as we made our way to class.

Again, Edward sat in the desk beside mine. Today, Shawn was not sick, but when he walked in, without a sideways glance or hesitation, he walked past the front row to Edward's old spot in the back.

Frowning, I muttered as I sat down, "I hope you didn't threaten him to switch with you."

He just laughed again. This one was only marginally longer than the first, but he seemed to be loosening up and it made me feel giddy. Abby shook her head at me when she arrived, but the smile on her own face told me it was only playful. Things seemed to be settling down and for once I wasn't drowning in misery as the bell rang and Mr. Shetler stood at the front of the classroom, beginning the lesson.

The next several days began to form a routine. In the mornings before class, I spent with Abby, occasionally comparing homework or going over the new gossip I had somehow missed. She still bombarded me with questions about Edward. In between classes, Edward was always waiting for me. Our chats were all over the place, but nothing that every really got me under his surface. However, I looked forward to them.

But then Friday came. It was the day before Edward was supposed to come over and my brain had just decided to remember this as I pulled into the parking lot. Groaning, I knocked my forehead against the steering wheel a few times before turning the engine off and running to class.

Abby and I were so focused on comparing trig homework that I hadn't noticed that the seat in front of her remained empty even as the bell rang. All throughout the period I kept glancing at the desk, as if Alice would magically appear there any moment.

It wasn't the first time Alice had been absent, but this day it particularly bugged me. I figured I could just ask Edward if she was sick after class, but when the bell rang signaling the end, my usual walking partner was nowhere to be found. Outside, I scowled at the sun that, for a rare day, shine bright and wasn't accompanied by a single cloud in the sky. Silently, I apologized to the giant star. It wasn't its fault that I had been ditched.

I went through the rest of my day exactly as I had before the physics project had even come into existence. Lunch was no exception.

The table that become familiar to me was empty, devoid of any brooding but beautiful teenage boy before being taken by a brave freshman. The usual Mason table was also empty.

 _So they're all gone today?_

Hiding a pout, I sat with my friends.

"Look who's gracing us with her presence today," Jackson crooned.

I balled up a napkin in my hands and threw it at his face, hitting him right below the left eye. "Shut up."

Jackson just laughed it off.

"So, where are you on the project?" Tanner asked between bites of his sandwich.

"We're pretty much done," I shrugged. He wasn't really something I wanted to talk about right now. "All we need to do is put the presentation together." As long as he didn't forget.

Abby huffed. "Seriously? That is so not fair!"

"Good for you guys," Tanner congratulated sincerely.

The conversation drifted from topic to topic. I barely followed along. Talk about the school's basketball team and their odds of winning the game next Tuesday just didn't have the same pull as who might have actually written Shakespeare's works (a conversation that had occupied most of my time with Edward on Wednesday). However, that being said, I have missed Abby's fiery speeches and Jackson's idiotic comments that he thought were genius.

So, I enjoyed this time and pushed the Masons out of my head, at least for the rest of the day.


End file.
